Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund were unable to find their rhythm as Denmark slumped to a 2-0 loss at the hands of Germany to crash out of Euro 2024 in the round of 16.
Following a hard-fought first-half, Denmark appeared resolute, refusing to allow Germany’s attacking lineup to find the back of the net despite the momentum largely swinging in the hosts’ favour.
Just five minutes after the break, it appeared as if the Danes found an unlikely lead against the run of play. Eriksen took a sublime free kick, swinging the ball to Jannik Vestergaard who knocked the ball to the other end of the penalty box. While Joachim Andersen managed to put the ball in the net, the goal was ruled offside by VAR.
This moment was a testament to the large involvement that Eriksen had in his team’s attacking build-ups, making three key passes in total. Aside from such moments, Eriksen struggled to maintain accuracy, completing just 70% of his passes (35/50), one of six crosses, and two of three long balls.
Eriksen’s physicality left a lot to be desired, losing his only duel of the match while also being dispossessed 22 times – the most of any player on either team.
Hojlund fared slightly better in the physical department but was still underwhelming, winning four of nine ground duels and two of four aerial challenges. He also lost possession on 11 separate occasions.
With only 30 touches, the striker managed to complete an impressive 11 of 14 passes. Naturally, he wasn’t able to attempt any crosses or long balls, although this is understandable due to his role as a target man.
Hojlund enjoyed his fair share of goalscoring opportunities. While he took four shots in total, he proved largely wasteful.
With two shots on target, Hojlund had one big chance that he ultimately missed.
While able to break through the German defence after getting on the end of a cross, Hojlund was one-on-one with the keeper. Although he was standing slightly left of the goalposts, he failed to utilise the generous amount of space he had, shooting directly at the keeper and making his job as easy as possible.
Although he was able to complete one tackle, defending was hardly a priority for Denmark’s target man, especially once he was unable to produce any true goal threat.
Sadly, it was a night to forget for both Eriksen and Hojlund, both of whom produced a mixed-bag performance. Hopefully, they will focus on understanding and fixing their errors as they prepare to return to Manchester United ahead of the new season.
Stats via sofascore.com.
