Danish Dynamite — by Rob Smyth, Lars Eriksen and Mike Gibbons — tells the story of one of football’s favourite cult teams: Denmark’s fun-loving, free-flowing side of the 1980s. On one grey November day — with their place at Mexico ’86 booked — they touched down in Dublin.
WITH THE PRESSURE of qualification now off them, they could go for the win as the group concluded on the long grass of Lansdowne Road in November, which had been hosting international rugby not four weeks earlier.
The Irish fans could only dream of having a football team to match their rugby equivalent, who had won the Triple Crown earlier in the year.
The Irish started well, with Frank Stapleton heading an early goal; Elkjær’s equaliser, almost straight from the kick-off, was like an emphatic conversational putdown. The goal was created by the in-form right-back John Sivebæk, who played a couple of one-twos during a galloping run before beating Jim Beglin and crossing for Elkjær to volley in from close range.
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As the only outfield player based in Denmark, Sivebæk was something of an anomaly, but early in the second half he chanced upon a carpe diem moment that would change his entire future. By this point Laudrup had already put the Danes 2-1 in front with a fi ne goal, sprinting with David O’Leary into the area before cutting inside him to slot the ball home, but this was soon to be usurped by Sivebæk.
Sivebæk picked the ball up seventy yards from the Irish goal, played a quick give-and-go with Laudrup to get around Beglin and then raced into the Irish half. Elkjær made a dart to the right to drag defenders out of the way, and with Laudrup dumped to the ground when playing the return ball there was no one else in support. All that lay ahead of Sivebæk was green grass and green shirts. ‘I looked around to fi nd the guy to play it to,’ he says, ‘but nobody was there so I thought: “Okay, let’s go on.”’
Go on Sivebæk did, with a diagonal charge across Lansdowne Road. Beglin snapped at his heels but Sivebæk shook him off and then went past O’Leary and into the penalty area. With his weaker left foot he clipped a looping shot over Jim McDonagh for one of the most remarkable goals of the Piontek era.
Paul McGrath of Ireland tackles Jesper Olsen. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
Astonishment was the general consensus — from Gehrs in the commentary box (‘Welcome to the scorers’ club, John Sivebæk’), the crowd, the Danish players and mostly Sivebæk himself. His celebration passed into legend and was repeated in schoolyards in Denmark – hands in the air, a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders and a where-did-that-come-from look on his face, more embarrassed and self-deprecating than any Big I Am swagger.
‘I was just surprised that I’d scored a goal, and the celebration was more like, “Oh, what’s going on?”’ he says. ‘I just couldn’t believe myself. That was the reason.’
It was a goal that sealed victory in the group for Denmark and also defined their whole philosophy. Every one of them was on close personal terms with the ball and could run it into other areas of the pitch without being paralysed by anxiety at leaving their comfort zone. For Sivebæk the moment instantly changed his life – as soon as the match was over the watching Ron Atkinson charged downstairs and cornered him in the changing rooms to negotiate an immediate transfer to Manchester United. That transfer would never quite work out, though he can at least claim to have scored the first goal in the reign of a certain Alex Ferguson.
Denmark rounded off the match with another beautifully constructed goal in the seventy-sixth minute. Sivebæk played yet another quick one-two and escaped down the right, looping in a cross for Berggreen. With a beautifully disguised touch, Berggreen laid the ball into the path of Elkjær, who thrashed it past McDonagh.
After a bout of the yips up to half-time in Oslo, Denmark had now scored nine times in a game and a half, confirming their place in Mexico in style. At the end of the game, the Irish fans gave Denmark a standing ovation, and the evisceration of their team was a warning of what Denmark could be capable of in the tournament proper. All things considered, a good day’s work indeed.
The day one of the best teams of the 1980s put on a show at Lansdowne Road
Danish Dynamite — by Rob Smyth, Lars Eriksen and Mike Gibbons — tells the story of one of football’s favourite cult teams: Denmark’s fun-loving, free-flowing side of the 1980s. On one grey November day — with their place at Mexico ’86 booked — they touched down in Dublin.
WITH THE PRESSURE of qualification now off them, they could go for the win as the group concluded on the long grass of Lansdowne Road in November, which had been hosting international rugby not four weeks earlier.
The Irish fans could only dream of having a football team to match their rugby equivalent, who had won the Triple Crown earlier in the year.
The Irish started well, with Frank Stapleton heading an early goal; Elkjær’s equaliser, almost straight from the kick-off, was like an emphatic conversational putdown. The goal was created by the in-form right-back John Sivebæk, who played a couple of one-twos during a galloping run before beating Jim Beglin and crossing for Elkjær to volley in from close range.
As the only outfield player based in Denmark, Sivebæk was something of an anomaly, but early in the second half he chanced upon a carpe diem moment that would change his entire future. By this point Laudrup had already put the Danes 2-1 in front with a fi ne goal, sprinting with David O’Leary into the area before cutting inside him to slot the ball home, but this was soon to be usurped by Sivebæk.
Sivebæk picked the ball up seventy yards from the Irish goal, played a quick give-and-go with Laudrup to get around Beglin and then raced into the Irish half. Elkjær made a dart to the right to drag defenders out of the way, and with Laudrup dumped to the ground when playing the return ball there was no one else in support. All that lay ahead of Sivebæk was green grass and green shirts. ‘I looked around to fi nd the guy to play it to,’ he says, ‘but nobody was there so I thought: “Okay, let’s go on.”’
Go on Sivebæk did, with a diagonal charge across Lansdowne Road. Beglin snapped at his heels but Sivebæk shook him off and then went past O’Leary and into the penalty area. With his weaker left foot he clipped a looping shot over Jim McDonagh for one of the most remarkable goals of the Piontek era.
Astonishment was the general consensus — from Gehrs in the commentary box (‘Welcome to the scorers’ club, John Sivebæk’), the crowd, the Danish players and mostly Sivebæk himself. His celebration passed into legend and was repeated in schoolyards in Denmark – hands in the air, a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders and a where-did-that-come-from look on his face, more embarrassed and self-deprecating than any Big I Am swagger.
‘I was just surprised that I’d scored a goal, and the celebration was more like, “Oh, what’s going on?”’ he says. ‘I just couldn’t believe myself. That was the reason.’
It was a goal that sealed victory in the group for Denmark and also defined their whole philosophy. Every one of them was on close personal terms with the ball and could run it into other areas of the pitch without being paralysed by anxiety at leaving their comfort zone. For Sivebæk the moment instantly changed his life – as soon as the match was over the watching Ron Atkinson charged downstairs and cornered him in the changing rooms to negotiate an immediate transfer to Manchester United. That transfer would never quite work out, though he can at least claim to have scored the first goal in the reign of a certain Alex Ferguson.
Denmark rounded off the match with another beautifully constructed goal in the seventy-sixth minute. Sivebæk played yet another quick one-two and escaped down the right, looping in a cross for Berggreen. With a beautifully disguised touch, Berggreen laid the ball into the path of Elkjær, who thrashed it past McDonagh.
After a bout of the yips up to half-time in Oslo, Denmark had now scored nine times in a game and a half, confirming their place in Mexico in style. At the end of the game, the Irish fans gave Denmark a standing ovation, and the evisceration of their team was a warning of what Denmark could be capable of in the tournament proper. All things considered, a good day’s work indeed.
Danish Dynamite is published by Bloomsbury; you can buy it here
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