When the Danish team arrived in Australia for the Women’s World Cup, they set up camp in Perth. It was, coach Lars Søndergaard said, a great place to prepare for the tournament, with warm weather akin to the Danish summer.
But the players were particularly touched when some young footballers from Denmark, Western Australia, a small town near Albany on the state’s southern tip, travelled five hours to greet the team at their pre-World Cup training. The town was named after a Scottish naval surgeon, rather than the European nation, but it was a nice gesture all the same. “That was perfect,” Søndergaard said. “Better preparation we couldn’t have had.”
On Monday, when the Danes walk out in front of almost 80,000 Matildas fans at Stadium Australia, they are unlikely to get such a warm welcome. In this crunch round-of-16 encounter, with Denmark standing between Australia and a spot in the quarter-finals, the crowd will be in full voice. “I will just imagine they’re cheering on Denmark instead of Australia,” joked star striker Pernille Harder earlier this week.
Back in Denmark, support for the team has been growing since they qualified for their first World Cup since 2007. And the hype around de rød-hvide (the red and white) is reaching fever pitch after they progressed to the knock-out round for the first-time in almost three decades.
“It’s been a big thing,” says Philip Selmann, a journalist with DR Sporten based in Aarhus. While women’s sport does not get quite the attention of the men’s game in Denmark, the team’s run at this tournament is changing that. “It’s a good team, a young team, and excitement is growing game after game,” Selmann adds.
Denmark will enter the knock-out encounter as underdogs, against the higher-ranked Matildas. They have never won a knock-out match at the World Cup. But the Danes will take heart from their victory over Australia in 2021, although the Matildas got revenge nine months ago with a 3-1 win.
“I’ve heard the national coach say that it’s 50/50,” says Selmann. “I’d say it is more 80/20 in Australia’s favour. The Danish people know it’s going to be a tough task, because it’s on home soil with 80,000 people in the crowd – that’s always going to be a tough assignment.
“And then the Matildas team…” Selmann adds. “Sam Kerr has not played very much and she is world class, if not the best striker in the world. The team is already good – even without her. It’s going to be tough, very, very tough.”
Pivotal to Denmark’s chances will be the talismanic striker Harder, captain and prolific goal-scorer. Harder was until recently a colleague of Kerr’s at Chelsea.
“She’s by far the biggest star,” Selmann says of Harder. “She’s a living icon. She is the focal point, not only for the team but for women’s sport in Denmark generally. She’s been the most expensive player in the world, but also one of the very best – playing for Chelsea and now for Bayern Munich. She’s also the leader in the team and a spokesperson, whenever the team is asked about LGBTQI rights, women’s rights or the progression of the sport.”
On Monday Denmark will be hoping for big performances from their youthful core, including Arsenal’s 20-year-old midfield dynamo Kathrine Kühl – who Selmann tips as the team’s player to watch in the years ahead. “She’s definitely going to be the next big thing,” he says.
Kühl struggled to exert herself against China and England in Denmark’s opening matches, but put in an improved performance against Haiti. “She has that X-factor,” says Selmann. “Her dribbling skills are very good and she is a phenomenal passer. Her colleagues and coaches are already highlighting her as a star in the making.”
Denmark’s defence is one of the team’s major strengths; they conceded just one goal, to England, during the group stage. They may invite Australia to control possession and look to respond on the counter-attack – a strategy that tested the Matildas when deployed by Ireland in Australia’s opening match. “I think they will lean into that underdog role,” says Selmann.
The visit by locals from Denmark, Western Australia to the Danish team has not been the only show of solidarity between the two nations, which have held a stronger bond since an Australian, Mary Donaldson, became Crown Princess of Denmark in 2004.
Ahead of the tournament, the Danish Football Association set up a fan-initiative to bring Danish and Australian fans together. Danish team supporters are known as Roligans, so-called because of their calm behaviour in contrast to typical football hooligans (rolig is Danish for calm). So the Danish FA dubbed their Women’s World Cup fan initiative the “Kangarooligans”.
“If we can support each other no matter who makes it through, that would be delightful,” laughs Selmann.
A Facebook page for the initiative is certainly optimistic about a Danish victory. In a post on Friday, it said that Australian fans were relieved of “Kangarooligan duties” for the round-of-16 clash. “However, unwavering support of Denmark is to be assumed for the quarterfinals!” it added, with a wink emoji.
