Denmark 2-0 Wales: Isaksen stars as Bellamy's side hit new Nations League low
Denmark registered their first victory of the 2026-27 Nations League as two second-half goals downed Wales 2-0 at Parken in Copenhagen, a result that left Craig Bellamy's side bottom of Group A4 with no points from their opening two fixtures.
A Ben Davies own goal broke the deadlock before Gustav Isaksen added the insurance, lifting Denmark onto three points and piling further misery onto a Wales side suffering a second consecutive defeat in the competition following Thursday's 1-0 reverse against Portugal in Lisbon.
Damsgaard's set pieces settle the contest
Both of Denmark's goals arrived from set pieces delivered by Brentford midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard. In the 53rd minute, Damsgaard's whipped right-sided free-kick caused chaos in the Wales box, and in trying to block Rasmus Hojlund from getting to the ball, Ben Davies deflected it into the back of his own net.
Thirteen minutes later, another Damsgaard free-kick led to the second goal. Joachim Andersen's header was cleared off the line, but Isaksen put his laces through the rebound to send a deflected volley over goalkeeper Danny Ward in the 66th minute — this one survived the VAR check.
Isaksen denied a spectacular double
Isaksen thought he had broken the deadlock 24 minutes in, superbly volleying past a helpless Danny Ward after a pacy counter-attack saw Rasmus Hojlund lift a delicate cross between the defenders — but the goal was chalked off following a VAR review for a marginal offside in the build-up.
Hojlund was also the creator of another near miss, teeing up Damsgaard on the edge of the area, only for his fizzing drive to strike the foot of the left post. Wales' best first-half chance came when Filip Jorgensen tipped Connor Roberts' instinctive flick over, while Neco Williams saw his deflected drive fly into the goalkeeper's gloves just after the break.
Two late Danish goals were both ruled out. Hojlund drifted offside before turning past Ward with four minutes of the 90 remaining, while a Williams finish did not count after the referee blew his whistle early for a foul by Ethan Ampadu in the build-up.
Wales' blunt attack a growing worry
The lack of goals at the other end may prove to be a serious cause for concern. Wales have now failed to score in the first half of any of their six games in 2026 in all competitions, attempting 30 shots without success. Sunday brought 10 attempts in total, worth 0.65 expected goals (xG), while Denmark had double the number of shots, racking up 1.31 xG from those.
Bellamy was proud of what he saw from his side against Portugal on Friday, but Wales were second best throughout in Copenhagen, with the report describing them as utterly outclassed. Denmark, by contrast, rose to the occasion after being beaten by Norway on Thursday — a result that had sparked turmoil in the camp after captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg openly questioned the team's tactics. The winners could easily have claimed a more comfortable margin.
What's next in Group A4
Denmark moved onto three points in Group A4, leaving Wales bottom with none and facing an uphill battle to avoid relegation from the group. Wales have no let-up in store: they face Norway and Erling Haaland on Thursday in their third Nations League match, with Norway due to play Portugal later on Sunday.