Wales lost 2-0 to Denmark in Copenhagen on Tuesday night, a defeat that leaves them winless in six matches in 2026 and without a point from their away Nations League A double-header with Portugal and the Danes. The result hurts Craig Bellamy, the Wales head coach, who admitted afterwards that the Danes deserved to win.
Bellamy said he was “hurting” after the match. “When you see an athletic team run over you a little bit… but then, will we improve? I think we will,” he said.
The loss came just three days after a 1-0 defeat to Portugal in Lisbon. It means Wales face a significant challenge as they prepare for their remaining fixtures against Norway on Thursday, 1 October, and then Denmark the following Sunday at Cardiff City Stadium.
Denmark’s path to victory
Denmark took control early at Parken Stadium. Mikkel Damsgaard fired against the post shortly after Gustav Isaksen had a goal disallowed for offside. The Danes dominated the opening exchanges, and their superiority was reflected in the final score.
The first goal arrived through an own goal by Ben Davies. The second came from Isaksen’s strike. That pattern of two set-piece goals decided the match.
What Bellamy said about the loss
Bellamy was candid about the scale of the defeat. He described the feeling of watching a team run over his own as painful, but he refused to let the moment define his outlook.
“I’m really hurting,” he said. “This team will get better, these players will keep improving. There are young ones coming in well after I’m gone. For me now it’s just focus, two more games to go. How can I help you improve for the next two games but also how can I improve?”
He also noted that his behaviour changes depending on whether his team wins or loses. “I’m probably more loving when I’m losing, I’m probably more of a pain in the backside when I’m winning.”
Before the game, Bellamy had warned his players about the difficulty ahead. “I said to the players before the game, ‘this is going to be tougher than Portugal,'” he recalled. “It was a different challenge but a very difficult one. The best team won overall. As disappointed as I am with that, the result I probably think was fair.”
The players respond
Captain Ben Davies spoke to BBC Match of the Day Wales after the match. He acknowledged the quality of the opposition and the harshness of the lesson.
“It was a tough game. They are a good team and made it a hard game for us,” he said. “It was really frustrating to concede from two set-pieces. The Nations League games are against the best teams in Europe, it was always going to be tough. If you’re not at 100% then you are going to get punished at this level. We have to regroup and go again on Thursday.”
Davies’ comments suggest that the margin of defeat was not the issue. The manner of it was. Conceding from two set-pieces is a problem that can be fixed, and he urged his teammates to regroup quickly for the upcoming fixtures.
Winger Sorba Thomas echoed Bellamy’s confidence that the team will improve. “Thankfully we’ve got two games at home still to come. We’ll have home advantage so we need to show a reaction,” he told BBC Match of the Day Wales. “We are just going to get better. We are a small nation but we’ve got big hearts and beliefs and for us it’s about showing that more on the pitch.”
The wider context
Wales’ run of results in 2026 has been poor. The loss to Denmark follows a 1-0 defeat to Portugal in Lisbon three days earlier, and the team has now won nothing in six matches.
The run includes the away fixtures against Portugal and Denmark in the Nations League A. Those two matches have produced no points, and the pattern of conceding from set-pieces has emerged as a recurring weakness.
| Fixture | Result |
|---|---|
| Portugal (Lisbon) | 1-0 loss |
| Denmark (Copenhagen) | 2-0 loss |
The road ahead
Wales have two games left in the current international break. The first is against Norway on Thursday, 1 October, at Cardiff City Stadium. The second is against Denmark the following Sunday.
The Norway match will be a chance to start the campaign with a win. The Denmark match will be played on the same ground where the Welsh team will hope to reverse the result of Tuesday’s game.
What the result means for Wales
The result is a blow to Wales’ ambitions in the Nations League. The team has now won nothing in six matches, and the run of away defeats includes both fixtures in the top tier of the competition.
The positives are limited. The players showed belief in their post-match comments, and Bellamy’s commitment to improvement was clear. But belief is not a strategy, and the next two games will require concrete action.
The pattern of conceding from set-pieces is worrying. Addressing that weakness will be necessary if Wales are to start winning again.
Key facts
- Result: Denmark 2-0 Wales
- First goal: Ben Davies own goal
- Second goal: Gustav Isaksen
- Next fixture: Norway, Thursday, 1 October, Cardiff City Stadium
- Second fixture: Denmark, Sunday, Cardiff City Stadium
- Run of form: Winless in six matches in 2026
- Previous away results: 1-0 loss to Portugal, 2-0 loss to Denmark
The verdict
The defeat was deserved. Denmark were the better team on the night, and the result reflected that.
The positives are that the team is young and improving. The captain has spoken honestly about the challenge of competing against Europe’s elite. And the home advantage for the remaining fixtures offers a chance to end the run of results on a high note.
But the pattern of conceding from set-pieces needs to stop. The next two games will show whether the team can address that weakness and start winning again.
Source material: “Bellamy 'hurting' as Denmark outclass Wales,” the BBC.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.