ales suffered their third defeat of the UEFA Nations League campaign as Rasmus Højlund’s second-half penalty gave Denmark a 1-0 victory in Cardiff on Sunday.
Craig Bellamy’s side were unable to build on Thursday’s encouraging win over Norway and were ultimately beaten by a Denmark team that created the clearer chances throughout the contest. The result leaves Wales third in Group A4 on head-to-head record against Norway, with two matches remaining.
Wales had more of the ball during the opening period but struggled to turn their possession into meaningful opportunities. Denmark gradually became more dangerous, with Oliver Provstgaard heading over and Gustav Isaksen going close before Danny Ward kept the visitors at bay.
That pattern continued after the break, although Ward initially appeared to be keeping Wales in the contest. He produced an excellent save with his legs to deny Højlund before making another superb stop to turn Isaksen’s header onto the post.
The goalkeeper’s next involvement, however, proved decisive. A misplaced pass inside his own penalty area allowed Isaksen to regain possession, and Ward then brought down the Denmark forward as he attempted to recover. Højlund calmly converted from the spot in the 75th minute, sending Ward the wrong way.
Wales struggled to find a response after falling behind, with their best opportunity coming when Sorba Thomas picked out Brennan Johnson, who sent a difficult half-volley over the bar. The hosts finished with only one shot on target, underlining their problems in the final third despite having 54 per cent possession.
For Denmark, the victory completed a league double over Wales after their 2-0 win in Copenhagen and extended their unbeaten run against Bellamy’s side to five matches. Højlund’s penalty was also his third goal in his last four Nations League appearances.
The demanding schedule was another factor for Wales, with Sunday’s match their fourth in 11 days. Bellamy felt the extended international window had placed additional pressure on his injury-hit squad, particularly against high-level opposition.
“Physically, I completely agree with the ones who don’t like [the new window]. It makes no sense,” Bellamy said.
The Wales manager also defended Ward after his costly mistake, pointing to the goalkeeper’s earlier saves and insisting Denmark had been building pressure before the penalty.
“Obviously it’s the decisive moment, but he made two incredible saves before that,” Bellamy said. “I thought Denmark with the physicality were able to just crank it a little bit.”
Despite the disappointment, captain Ben Davies stressed that the squad had given everything and remained determined to finish the campaign strongly.
“I didn’t feel like there was a whole lot in the game, to be honest. It’s a tough way to concede and a disappointing loss,” Davies said.
“We gave it our all and I’m very proud of the group. You can’t fault the effort that’s in this group, so we’re going to go into the next two games with nothing to lose.”
Wales now sit three points clear of fourth-placed Norway on head-to-head record, after Portugal’s 2-1 victory over the Norwegians. They will travel to Oslo in November before hosting Portugal in their final Group A4 fixture, knowing that avoiding fourth place remains the priority.
