The story of the legendary Danish goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel

DBasia.news – The Danish National Team shocked the world when they won the 1992 European Cup. There was a figure who became the center of attention at that moment, namely Peter Schmeichel in goal.

Schmeichel deserves to be called one of the best goalkeepers of all time in Denmark. His quality in thwarting the opponent’s golden opportunity is unquestionable.

Schmeichel has been Denmark’s main goalkeeper for more than a decade. He has 103 caps with 38 clean sheets and one goal.

In addition, Schmeichel is also quite successful at club level. He was the main goalkeeper for Manchester United when they won the treble winners in the 1998-1999 season.

Even so, Schmeichel’s heroic appearance at the 1992 European Cup is more embedded in the memory of football lovers. He is indeed an inspiration for De Rod-Hvide’s slick game.

Denmark was actually only a substitute team when competing in the 1992 European Cup. The team that was handled by Wim Kieft filled the position of Yugoslavia, which was undergoing civil war.

However, this opportunity can be exploited to the fullest. The Danish players even couldn’t believe they were able to compete in the tournament.

“We heard the rumors during our first training. Then, during the second training session, we officially received the news that we were playing in Sweden,” said Schmeichel.

Status as a substitute team has made Denmark not much to be taken into account. Moreover, they are in Group A with hosts Sweden, France and England.

The final round of the 1992 European Cup was attended by only eight countries which were divided into two groups. The top two rankings immediately advanced to the semifinals.

Denmark started its work by holding England to a 0-0 draw. Schmeichel was able to keep the goal safe.

Denmark’s chance to advance to the semifinals seemed unlikely after being defeated 0-1 by Sweden in the second match. This condition has made Schmeichel and his team mates sit in the caretaker position.

But the magic happened in the last game. Denmark extraordinarily was able to defeat France with a score of 2-1 through goals from Henrik Larsen and Lars Dahl Elstrup who was only able to reply once by Jean-Pierre Papin.

The victory has made Denmark qualify for the semifinals with a runner up status. But they have been waiting for the defending champion, the Netherlands.

Even so, the big name of the Netherlands did not discourage the Danish players. The duel of the two teams in the semifinals was fierce.

Denmark and the Netherlands drew 2-2 for 120 minutes of the match. The match had to go to a penalty shootout to determine the winner.

It was in this round that Schmeichel showed his quality. He was able to hold off Marco van Basten’s shot to ensure Denmark’s 5-4 victory.

The victory over the Netherlands really made Denmark unstoppable. In the top match, they destroyed Germany with two goals without reply.

The success of winning the 1992 European Cup earned Denmark the nickname as a dynamite team. But the big bang in the tournament would not have been maximal without the presence of Schmeichel as his last keeper.