Rasmus Højlund converts penalty after Danny Ward error to give Denmark victory over Wales

Denmark beat Wales in the Nations League in Wales on Sunday when Rasmus Højlund converted a penalty awarded after goalkeeper Danny Ward’s mistake, a decision confirmed following a video assistant referee review by Ivan Bebek.

Craig Bellamy’s Wales had arrived off the back of a midweek win over Norway that the manager wanted them to build on, but Bellamy said he could not name an unchanged XI because of the toll of four matches in 11 days; Daniel James was the only player omitted, with Brennan Johnson coming in on the wing. Ben Davies started a fourth successive game in the window, having only recently logged minutes for Tottenham against Charlton Athletic’s B team in the Carabao Cup, and Ward remained in goal. Bellamy had praised Pierre-Emile Højbjerg as a "coach on the pitch" ahead of the match; Højbjerg was forced off early after appearing to pull a hamstring.

The game was low on clear-cut chances in the first half, Denmark’s sole shot on target in that period coming from Højlund’s sixth-minute effort, described as weak. Ward was called into action more in the second half, denying Højlund from a left-footed attempt after Andreas Skov Olsen’s cross and later producing a remarkable save to divert Gustav Isaksen’s header onto the near post from Joakim Mæhle’s cross. Those interventions had kept Wales level and, for a time, made Ward the standout performer on the pitch.

Denmark looked the more dangerous through the match despite Wales creating moments of their own; Mohamed Daramy’s run and cross produced a mis-kicked opportunity for Højlund, and Isaksen had other openings that went begging. Wales’ Manuel Thomas and Liam Cullen offered attacking thrusts, with Cullen deployed as a playmaker, but they did not force goalkeeper Mads Hermansen into a sustained sequence of saves. The atmosphere was buoyant, driven by the Barry Horns, even if the stadium was not full.

The decisive incident arrived after 73 minutes when Ben Cabango shifted the ball across to Ward and the goalkeeper miskicked his attempted pass straight to Isaksen. Ward then collided with Isaksen while trying to recover possession, prompting the referee to consult the pitchside review overseen by Ivan Bebek; the on-field decision gave Denmark a penalty. Højlund stepped up, waited for Ward to commit to his left and placed the ball into the opposite corner from 12 yards.

The spot-kick proved decisive and denied Wales a clean sheet: a first clean sheet since beating Liechtenstein last November also went out of the window. The referee’s confirmation of the penalty after the VAR review and Højlund’s composed finish were the final, match-defining actions.