Russia vs Denmark: Damsgaard Danish Dynamite's dangerman in must-win Euro 2020 clash
If Denmark are to progress to the last-16 of Euro 2020, then they need to win when they take on Russia tonight, and hope Belgium can do them a favour against Finland. The Danish Dynamite were rocked by Christian Eriksen's collapse in their 1-0 defeat to Finland on the opening weekend of the competition - thankfully Eriksen has been discharged from hospital following a "successful operation" to fit an ICD - and were unable to overpower European heavyweights Belgium in Copenhagen.
It's all or nothing for Denmark tonight then as they look to beat Russia. However, a 1-0 win over Russia, along with a Belgium win over Finland, would be enough for the Danes to finish second. Currently footing Group B, it would mark a significant turnaround for Denmark. Victory over Russia and a Belgium win over Finland would leave the trio on three points with an identical head-to-head record, but Denmark's superior goal difference would see them progress to the last-16.
The absence of Eriksen dented Danish hopes, but in Mikkel Damsgaard, Hjulmand is able to call upon a player that can aid in prying open defences. The 20-year-old joined Sampdoria from Nordsjælland last summer and took the rigours of Serie A football well. Making 35 league appearances, 18 of which were starts, Damsgaard was a reliable performer under Claudio Ranieri as Sampdoria finished ninth, with the young Dane chipping in with two goals and four assists, though that doesn't quite tell the full story.
Damsgaard's best way to attack is his ability to glide past opponents with an average of 2.6 dribbles per 90 the eighth best in Serie A this season. He transferred this quality to the international stage well as he completed five dribbles in Denmark's 2-1 loss to Belgium on Thursday; only Sweden's Alexander Isak (6 vs Slovakia) has completed more in a Euro 2020 match at the time of writing.
He may not have that same vision as Eriksen in the final third, but Damsgaard makes up for it by punching holes in defences to open up space to be exploited. That said, Damsgaard still created two goalscoring chances against Belgium and had his teammates sported their shooting boots, then they would have fully capitalised on the first half dominance before Red Devils boss Roberto Martinez called on the cavalry to save the day.
Russia aren't of the same level as Belgium, so Denmark will certainly fancy their chances of getting the better of Stanislav Cherchesov's side tonight. Danish Dynamite supporters will also look to Damsgaard's performance in World Cup qualifying earlier this year to boost morale coming into this crunch clash.
Indeed, Damsgaard earned a perfect WhoScored 10 rating for Denmark back in March having played a starring role in their 8-0 thumping of Moldova. The Sampdoria man had a direct hand in four of those goals, scoring twice, in a stunning outing from the young attacker. Clearly not overawed by the occasion, as noted in his solid display against Belgium - a WhoScored rating of 7.13 last week was the third best by a Denmark player at Euro 2020 - there are plenty pinning their hopes on Damsgaard to deliver the goods against Russia.
