Nature Energy Park, Odense, Denmark. 30th May 2025
UEFA Women’s Nations League – League A, Group 4
Just when you thought football was all over for another season, here comes two more matches each for the Men’s and Women’s National Teams. The first match of the four was Denmark v Cymru in the Nations League; where a defeat against the Danes will see Cymru relegated to League B.
With 5 weeks to go to the Euros a large delivery of cotton wool is heading to the FAW, to wrap these players up until the first match in Switzerland. With that in mind there will be lots of changes over the next two matches. Starting today, Rhian Wilkinson made five changes from the last match. Carrie Jones, Safia Middleton-Patel, Rachel Rowe, Ester Morgan and Rhiannon Roberts who was injured at the end of training yesterday, all miss out. Jess Fishlock, Olivia Clark, Ceri Holland, Lily Woodham and Josie Green all start. The Danes on the other hand made four changes, with Amalie Vangsgaard who scored the winner in Cardiff starting.
It was a nightmare start for 31st ranked Cymru when 18 year old Mayzee Davies went down in the first couple of minutes holding her knee. Davies, who has been playing really well recently, punched the ground with tears in eyes as she was being treated by the medical team. Fingers crossed that Mayzee will be ok for the Euros.
Things didn’t get any easier for Cymru after Davies hobbled off the pitch. The game resumed with a corner for Denmark, with the ball swung in. It was met with a header from Captain Pernille Harder which rocked off the crossbar. The attacking was relentless and the resulting corner saw the excellent Olivia Clark save from a Stine Ballisager header. The ball coming straight back into the box and the back peddling Clark managed to tip the ball over the bar.
A couple of minutes later, Olivia Clark was called upon again. This time she received a knock when making the save. Thankfully after a few minutes of treatment she was ok to return; we need the always excellent Clark to be fit for July.
After the delay for treatment to Clark, Cymru slowly got back into the game. Then with 21 minutes on the clock Lily Woodham managed to cut the ball back to Ceri Holland whose shot was parried out by the Danish keeper Maja Bay Østergaard, but only as far as the sliding Jess Fishlock. The Seattle-based legend made contact with the ball and watched it slowly roll towards the goal line. There though the ball was cleared by a Danish defender. All the Cymru players screamed for a goal. The replays showed that the ball had gone over the line but this match was played with no VAR and no Goal Line Technology, so it was left to the officials to decide.
Can you imagine a Men’s Nations League match being played without Goal Line Technology? Top tier International matches shouldn’t be played in ground where it’s not available. It was used in the 2014 World Cup, yet this game 11 years later was allowed to take place in a ground where it wasn’t available. The same would never be allowed in the Men’s game. Come on UEFA!
Cymru had Denmark rocked for the next few minutes but nothing came of it as the half came to an end 0-0. But more Importantly no more injuries.
The second half started with Denmark on the front foot. Two minutes in, a throw-in from forty yards out was picked up by Pernille Harder. The Bayern Munich player than ran diagonally into the box where from six yards she turned and fired a low shot into the opposite corner to make it 1-0.
Cymru spent the rest of the second half battling hard to stay in League A, but just couldn’t get that final ball in to one of the Strikers.
Denmark did come close again on 70 minutes when Hayley Ladd cleared off the line.
Cymru fought till the last minute to get something out of the game but unfortunately in was all in vain. Cymru can be proud of the progress they have made in this campaign. There’s bigger fish to fry in Switzerland in July, when Cymru women play in their first ever tournament. And maybe if this game wasn’t played in a ground that didn’t have even the basic technology seen over a decade ago, Goal Line Technology would have led to a different result tonight.
Now wrap these players up in cotton wool and bubble wrap to make sure they all make it to Switzerland.
Match report by Stephen @StephenJBaker, who’d like to the end his report by saying Rest In Peace to Mike Peters of The Alarm, a massive fan of Welsh football and a big part of Y Wal Goch. You will be missed but your music will live forever.