Denmark Qualifies For World Cup, Ronaldo Hat-Trick

Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark have become the second nation to book their spot at the 2022 World Cup following a 1-0 home win over Austria on Tuesday.

Denmark defender Joakim Maehle netted the game’s only goal in the 53rd minute, finding space inside the box before drilling a shot in at the near post.

The Danes follow Germany in qualifying for Qatar 2022, with Die Mannschaft confirming their place on Monday with a 4-0 win at North Macedonia.

Denmark’s Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg told Kanal 5: “You can only dream about things like this. It’s crazy.

“This is huge for me, it’s huge for the team, for Danish football and for Denmark.

“With the age and quality we have, we will only keep growing. It’s about staying humble and keeping our minds in the right place.”

The triumph marks Denmark’s continued growth since Christian Eriksen’s collapse on-field during their Euro 2020 opener when they lost to Finland. Eriksen remains unavailable as he recovers from cardiac arrest.

Elsewhere, Cristiano Ronaldo netted his 10th international hat-trick as Portugal won 5-0 over Luxembourg, although they remain behind Serbia who defeated Azerbaijan 3-1 in Group A.

England missed out on the chance to book their ticket for Qatar after a 1-1 home draw with Hungary, while Poland kept up the pressure with a 1-0 victory at Albania.

Sweden triumphed 2-0 over 10-man Greece to remain on Spain’s tail in Group B, while Scotland edged Faroe Islands 1-0 to stay second in Group F and Switzerland moved level on points with Italy in Group C after winning 4-0 at Lithuania after a Breel Embolo double.