Danish head coach Brian Riemer: “We have nothing to loose”, while actually loosing everything..
A collapse Denmark cannot laugh off
There was never a world in which Denmark had “nothing to lose” in this match. Denmark had everything to lose, and that is exactly what happened.
According to TV 2 Sport’s reporting, Denmark missed out on the World Cup after a chaotic and emotionally draining defeat to the Czech Republic, who sealed the place on penalties after a 2-2 draw. What made the result even more painful was the broader context. Denmark had already let earlier qualification opportunities slip away, and this final failure turned an underwhelming campaign into a full blown national disappointment.
The mood after the match reflected that reality. Players, staff, pundits, and officials did not describe the outcome as bad luck or a narrow miss. They spoke about failure, regret, and a missed responsibility to the country. For a team that expected to reach the tournament, the sense of embarrassment was as strong as the sporting disappointment.
Riemer’s words now sound painfully off target
Before the match, Brian Riemer tried to frame the occasion as an opportunity rather than a burden. According to TV 2 Sport, he said Denmark had a chance to correct the “mistake from November” and added, “For me, we do not have anything to lose in that way. It is a final, and in finals it is fifty, fifty.”
That line now looks badly misjudged. Denmark were not entering the match as underdogs with a free swing. They were a nation under pressure, with qualification on the line, public expectations hanging over the team, and very little room left for excuses. To say there was nothing to lose ignored the emotional and competitive weight of the moment, and the reaction since then shows just how disconnected that idea was from reality.
After the defeat, Riemer’s tone changed significantly. According to TV 2 Sport, he admitted that the team had failed and said the blame rested with those inside the camp. He also pointed back to the earlier match against Belarus as the moment where things went wrong. That acknowledgment was more in tune with the scale of the setback, but it also underlined how costly the final defeat really was.
Players apologize as frustration takes over
The strongest reaction came from the players themselves, who appeared to understand immediately how badly this would land at home. According to TV 2 Sport, Christian Eriksen called it “a scandal” that Denmark had not qualified and said the players almost owed the Danish public an apology because they were expected to reach the World Cup and did not deliver.
Pierre, Emile Højbjerg struck a similar tone. According to TV 2 Sport, the Denmark captain said the squad now had to “look ourselves in the mirror” and admitted that the team could only apologize. The language was blunt, emotional, and unfiltered, which matched the scale of the defeat far better than any attempt to soften it.
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There was also personal heartbreak inside the squad. Rasmus Højlund said he felt he had played one of his best matches for Denmark, yet he still left the night with a missed penalty and no qualification. Kasper Høgh, who scored in the match, later admitted that he did not feel able to take a penalty in the shootout because he doubted himself. Those details made the loss feel even more human, but they also highlighted a team that looked mentally fragile at the most important moment.
Support remains, but the pressure has only grown
Despite the result, Riemer has publicly retained support from both the Danish Football Association and parts of the dressing room. According to TV 2 Sport, Peter Møller said he does not regret extending Riemer’s contract through 2028 and insisted that the coach will remain in place. Højlund also said he hoped Riemer would continue, while Eriksen said the players do not choose the coach and must work under whoever is appointed.
Still, the backing has not ended the criticism. TV 2 Sport also reported strong backlash from pundits and commentators, with some calling the failure one of the darkest chapters in Danish football history. Mediano editor Peter Brüchmann argued that extending Riemer before qualification had been secured was a clear mistake, while David Nielsen said the national team setup had become too comfortable and lacked sufficiently high demands.
That split response captures where Denmark now stands. Riemer may be safe for the moment, but the trust around the project has clearly weakened. Public anger is not only about one loss to the Czech Republic. It is about repeated missed opportunities, unclear progression, and the sense that the team has drifted instead of developing.
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The damage will linger far beyond one night in Prague
Missing the World Cup is not just a bad result, it is a defining failure for this group. According to TV 2 Sport, Denmark had multiple chances to secure qualification earlier in the campaign and failed every time. By the time the playoff reached penalties, the pressure was no longer just about surviving one dramatic night. It was about cleaning up a mess created over several matches, and Denmark could not do it.
The financial impact may be limited, with DBU director Erik Brøgger Rasmussen saying the federation had not budgeted for qualification, according to Ritzau in TV 2 Sport’s live blog. But the sporting and emotional cost is much harder to dismiss. Denmark will not be at the tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and for senior players such as Christian Eriksen, that reality likely closes the door on one final World Cup appearance.
This is why the “nothing to lose” line feels so hollow now. Denmark lost a place on football’s biggest stage, lost credibility after repeated failures, and lost the chance to give supporters the summer they expected. No one is laughing, because there was never anything funny about the stakes.
Sources: TV 2 Sport live blog by Christopher Roth and Mads Artmann Haugaard, Ritzau, TV 2 Sport interviews and post match coverage.
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