Euro 2024: The astonishing reason why Denmark finished above Slovenia in Group C

Unexciting end

Euro 2024's Group C had the most unexcitable end to proceedings, with England versus Slovenia and Denmark against Serbia both finishing 0-0.

Extraordinary circumstances

Despite the boring end to the group, the 0-0 results have drawn up something remarkable, with Denmark finishing above Slovenia in quite extraordinary circumstances.

Identical records

According to the SportsBible website, Denmark and Slovenia finished on three points in three matches and had the same goal difference, with both conceding two.

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Why is Denmark second?

The two teams drew 1-1 with each other in the group stages, and both teams recorded the same amount of booking points (4 yellows, 0 reds). How did Denmark finish higher?

UEFA rules

According to UEFA rules, you have to go back to the European qualifiers and go off their qualifying ranking to establish who finishes higher. Simple right? No. Denmark and Slovenia played in the same group in qualifying and finished on 22 points.

Goal difference doesn’t matter

Their goal differences were ridiculously similar as well, with Denmark scoring 19 goals to Slovenia's 20 and Denmark conceding 10 to Slovenia's 9. However, UEFA doesn't go off goal difference, it considers the head-to-head record instead.

Head-to-head record

Unbelievably, in the pair's opening game against each other in qualifying, the match finished 1-1, with Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund scoring for Denmark. In the second game in November 2023, we finally got our answer.

Denmark edges it

In the penultimate game of qualifying, Denmark faced Slovenia in Copenhagen, and goals from Joakim Maehle and Thomas Delaney cancelled out Erik Janza's 30th-minute strike to give the Danes four points over Slovenia, subsequently finishing them higher in Group C.

Delaney the hero?

Who would have thought that Delaney, who's played 16 minutes of football at Euro 2024, would be the Denmark hero seven months after his goal in Copenhagen?

Slovenian assistant coach

UEFA has since confirmed the group was settled on yellow cards, but not from the players. Instead, a yellow card shown to Slovenia assistant coach Novakovic Milivoje in the game against Denmark has separated the teams!

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