Denmark’s Patrick Dorgu scored a minute after coming off the bench for his debut as his side beat nine-man Switzerland 2-0 in the Nations League A Group Four clash at the Parken Stadium on Thursday.
The Danes thought they had won a penalty early in the second half when Nico Elvedi picked up a booking for upending Kasper Dolberg, but after a VAR review, the referee changed his decision to a free kick just outside the box and a red card for the Swiss defender.
Jonas Wind had the ball in the net in the 72nd minute but the goal was chalked off for offside, and nine minutes later the 19-year-old Dorgu was introduced for his first cap as his side chased a winner.
A minute later he was on the scoresheet, latching on to a ball from fellow substitute Andreas Skov Olsen and firing home with his right foot.
Any chance the Swiss had of mounting a comeback disappeared when captain Granit Xhaka, who was booked in the aftermath of the goal, was dismissed in the 87th minute after picking up his second yellow card.
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Danish captain Pierre Emil Hojbjerg wrapped up the victory with a stoppage-time goal from another Skov Olsen assist to leave Denmark top of the group after a scoreless draw between Spain and Serbia.
San Marino wins first competitive game
San Marino won its first-ever competitive match by beating Liechtenstein 1-0 in the Nations League on Thursday, 20 years since its only other victory, also against Liechtenstein.
The Nations League D game was hardly a clash of the titans, with San Marino at the bottom of FIFA’s rankings at 210th and Liechtenstein at 199th, but Nicko Sensoli’s goal in the 53rd minute will make him a national hero.
San Marino’s only other success came in its 69th game, a 1-0 win over Liechtenstein in a 2004 friendly.
Since then, its fans have endured 140 matches without a win, and the 19-year-old Sensoli’s goal sparked wild celebrations at the San Marino stadium.
Sensoli was not even born when San Marino last won, and there was a long wait for the final whistle with eight minutes of added time before victory was confirmed to leave the hosts top of three-team Group 1, which also includes Gibraltar.