15 December 1952 - The Prince Of Denmark

On this day in 1952, Danish international striker Allan Simonsen was born in Vejle. He went on to become the first player to score in all three of the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and Cup Winners' Cup finals, and was the first Danish player to be named European Footballer of the Year.

He started his professional career in 1971 with his hometown club, Vejle BK, where he helped the club to the Danish league title in his first season. They repeated as champions in 1972, complemented with a victorious Danish Cup campaign. Simonsen's play drew the attention of defending Bundesliga champions Borussia Mönchengladbach, who signed him later that year.

Although it took his a while to acclimate to his new German surroundings, he ultimately became a key player for his new club, scoring 76 goals in 178 league appearances between 1972 and 1979. Along the way, he won three Bundesliga titles (1975, 1976, 1977), two UEFA Cups (1975, 1979), and one German Cup (1973). They also reached the final of the European Cup in 1977, but lost 3-1 to Liverpool, with Simonsen scored the Germans' lone goal. His performance in that 1976-77 season made him the 1977 European Footballer of the Year.

In 1979, after scoring the winning goal in that year's UEFA Cup Final, he moved to Barcelona. In three seasons there, he added the Copa del Rey (1981) to his silverware collection, then scored another match-winning goal in European competition to beat Standard Liège in the 1982 Cup Winners' Cup.

After a short time with Charlton Athletic (1982-83), Simonsen finished his playing career back in Vejle, winning yet another Danish league title in 1984 before retiring in 1989. He has since moved into management with Vejle (1991-94), the Faroe Islands (1994-2001), and Luxembourg (2001-04), and is currently the general manager for Danish club FC Fredericia.

15 November 1913 - Chelsea Gets Some International Flavor

On 15 November 1913, Denmark's Nils Middelboe became the first non-British player to make an appearance for Chelsea.

It wasn't the first "first" for Middelboe, who scored Denmark's first-ever goal in the opening match of the 1908 Summer Olympics. He helped Denmark to the silver medal that year, then again in 1912. By the latter, he had become the captain of the national team.

In 1913, he moved to Chelsea from Kjøbenhavns Boldklub, where he had spent the previous ten years. Reportedly, he originally intended to sign with Newcastle, but switched to Chelsea at the last minute. Upon arriving at Stamford Bridge, he received the captain's armband and led the team to a 2-1 victory over Derby County in his first match.

While at Chelsea, he maintained his amateur status, keeping another job at a London bank. In order to accommodate his other career, Chelsea did not require him to travel for away matches.

Middelboe remained with Chelsea for ten years (but only five seasons, thanks to the suspension of league play for World War I) and made a total of 46 appearances in all competitions. Afterward, he played for a couple of amateur sides, then became a director of Clapham Orient in 1929. In 1936, he returned to Denmark as coach of Kjøbenhavns Boldklub.

19 October 1908 - There Was Something Rotten Here, But It Wasn't Denmark

On 19 October 1908, Denmark played their first official international, beating France 9-0 in the opening match of the Summer Olympics.

The Danish Football Association formed in 1899, but waited several years before forming their first international squad. In 1906, an unofficial Denmark team composed of players from the Copenhagen Football Association participated in--and won--the 1906 Intercalated Games (an informal version of the Summer Olympics) by beating an Athens team 9-0. They followed up by registering their first official side for the 1908 Summer Olympics.

There were two matches scheduled for the tournament's opening day, but Hungary withdrew from their game against the Netherlands for financial reasons. As a result, Denmark and France contested the first official Olympic international.

Playing before a crowd of 2,000 at London's White City Stadium, Nils Middelboe (pictured) scored the first official Olympic goal when he put Denmark up in the 10th minute. He scored another in the 49th minute, while the Danes also got goals from Vilhelm Wolfhagen (15', 17', 67', 72'), Harald Bohr (25', 47'), and Sophus Nielsen (78') en route to a 9-0 victory. (The French team was their "B" side; their "A" side met Denmark three days later and suffered an even greater defeat, losing 17-1 with a staggering 10 goals from Nielsen.)

Denmark reached the tournament final, but lost to Great Britain 2-0.

7 October 1917 - The Danish Dozen

On 7 October 1917, Denmark whipped Norway in a friendly 12-0 despite starting the match a man down.

The imbalance was caused by Danish defender Johannes Hansen, who--for reasons that remain unclear--chose to get a pre-match haircut that delayed the opening whistle. The Norwegians agreed to the delay, but Swedish referee Ernst Albihn went ahead and started the match after learning that Hansen had arrived at the stadium in Copenhagen, even though he was not on the pitch.

As it turned out, it didn't make any difference. Even with the brief disadvantage in numbers, Denmark's Michael Rohde scored in only the 6th minute. At the half-hour mark, they were up 4-0 with a hat-trick from Rohde's club teammate, Victor Klein (both played for B 93). Rohde then scored another before the break to stretch the lead to 5-0.

The second half was even worse for Norway. They managed to avoid another goal until Paul Berth's 68th-minute strike, but then the dam burst as Kjøbenhavns Boldklub forward Poul Nielsen (pictured) rattled off five straight goals in a span of just over ten minutes (70', 74', 76', 78', 80'). A final score from Alf Olsen in the 83rd minute ended the barrage and set the final margin at 12-0.

The match remains Norway's biggest defeat.

18 June 1988 - Benni Turns On The Jets

On 18 June 1998, striker Benni McCarthy scored South Africa's first-ever World Cup goal to earn a draw with Denmark.

The 1998 World Cup was the first one for which South Africa had qualified and they were placed in Group C with France, Denmark, and Saudi Arabia. They failed to score in their opening match, a 3-0 loss to France, though one of the goals was an own goal from South African defender Pierre Issa.

Their second match of the tournament came against Denmark, played before a crowd of 33,300 at the Stade de Toulouse. It appeared to be headed the same way as the first match, as Denmark's Allan Nielsen scored a 13th-minute opener. But South Africa's defense tightened up and prevented any further goals. Then, in the 52nd minute, McCarthy struck. He split two Danish defenders, then fired the ball between the legs of goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel. It struck the inside of Schmeichel's left leg, then deflected into the net.

The match finished 1-1 to earn South Africa their first World Cup point. They earned another in their next match, a 2-2 draw with South Africa with both goals coming from striker Shaun Bartlett. But it wasn't enough to advance past the group stage.

McCarthy's goal was the 9th of his international career. He is currently their highest scorer, with a total of 31.

4 June 1986 - Experience Can Be Overrated

On 4 June 1986, Denmark made their first appearance in the World Cup, joining Scotland, Uruguay, and West Germany in tournament's "Group of of Death."

Two years earlier, the Danes had impressed the international footballing community by advancing to the European Championship semifinals where they narrowly lost to Spain on penalty kicks, 1-1 (5-4). Still, they were considered to many to be underdogs of their World Cup group, which included two-time champions West Germany (1954, 1974) and Uruguay (1930, 1950), as well as Scotland, who were making their fourth consecutive appearance--and sixth overall--in the tournament.

But Denmark proved to be the surprise of the tournament, opening their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Scotland (who, in fairness, were still reeling over the death of their previous manager, Jock Stein, from a heart attack the previous December). The only goal came in the 57th minute, as striker Preben Elkjær received the ball on the left edge of the box, beat a defender, and rifled the ball past keeper Jim Leighton. It struck the far post and rebounded into the net.

It was a redemptive goal for Elkjær, who missed penalty in the Euro '84 shootout gave Spain the win. He followed it with a hat-trick in Denmark's next match, a 6-1 demolition of Uruguay. Denmark went on to win the group with a 2-0 win over West Germany and advanced to the Round of 16. There, their good fortune ended, as they faced their old enemy Spain and lost 5-1.

27 January 1949 - The Peerless Per Røntved

On 27 January 1949, Werder Bremen captain and Danish Player of the Year Per Røntved was born in Frederiksberg.

Røntved started his professional career as a left winger for Second Division Danish side Brønshøj Boldklub in 1967, but soon switched positions to defense, helping guide the team to promotion at the end of his second season.

He earned his first cap with the Danish senior side in 1970 and captained the side during the 1972 Olympics. The highlight of that campaign was a 3-2 victory over Brazil in the first round, with Røntved scoring in the 50th minute to put the Danes up 2-0. The Brazilians rallied to draw level with goals in the 68th and 69th minutes before an 83rd minute Danish score put Røntved's side ahead for good. That performance led to Røntved winning the 1972 Danish Player of the Year Award.

After the Olympics, Røntved moved to Werder Bremen. He spent the majority of his career there, making 194 league appearances between 1972 and 1979. Although he joined them as a midfielder, he switched positions once more, filling in at sweeper. His new coach, Otto Rehhagel, claimed that Røntved was the second-best sweeper in the world at the time, behind only fellow Bundesliga star Franz Beckenbauer.

In June 1979, Røntved, then 30 years old, moved back to the Danish Second Division with Randers Freja. After three and a half seasons, he rejoined the top flight with Hvidovre IF, then retired in 1983.

He continued to play internationally until 1982 and, in his last appearance, became the first player to make 75 appearances for the Danish national team.

30 September 1945 - Sweden Manages To Be In Two Places At Once

On 30 September 1945, Sweden played - and won - two separate matches. One was against Denmark in Solna and the other was against Finland in Helsinki.

At the time, Sweden was a rising power in football, having finished fourth at the 1938 World Cup. Unfortunately for the Swedes, however, all of their official competitions had been postponed due to the outbreak of World War II, so they had little opportunity to capitalize on the strength of their side, led by their prolific forward pairing of Gunnar Nordahl (43 goals in 33 appearances between 1942 and 1948) and Gunnar Gren (32 goals in 57 appearances between 1939 and 1958).

In place of the canceled competitions, Sweden played several friendlies during the war years. For some reason, they overbooked for 30 September 1945 and had to send full squads to both matches. As a sign of their dominance, Sweden won both matches in convincing fashion, beating Denmark 4-1 and Finland 1-6.

Sweden continued their run of success once official competitions resumed after the war, taking the gold medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics, then finishing third at the 1950 World Cup.

11 June 2002 - Adieu, Les Bleus

On 11 June 2002, defending World Cup champions France were eliminated from the 2002 tournament with a 2-0 loss to Denmark in their final group stage match before a crowd of 48,100 at Korea's Incheon Munhak Stadium. Les Bleus finished at the bottom of their group with a single point, having gone scoreless in all three matches.

France started the day still in contention for the group's second place, needing a win against Denmark and a Uruguay win over Senegal. The French attack, however, was impaired by the absence of prolific striker Thierry Henry, who had been sent off in the previous match after a dangerous sliding tackle. And despite the presence of other French stars on the pitch, including Zinedine Zidane, Marcel Desailly, Patrick Vieira, and David Trezeguet, Les Bleus struggled to create pressure on the Danish goal.

The Danes had no such problem, taking a 22nd-minute lead with a strike from PSV winger Dennis Rommedahl (pictured, top). Striker Jon Dahl Tomasson (pictured, bottom), who had scored the match-winner for Feyenoord in that year's UEFA Cup, added a second in the 67th minute to seal the win.

Denmark advanced only to be eliminated by England 0-3 in the first knockout round.

France's early exit proved an aberration, as they advanced to the Final in the 2006 Cup, where they lost to Italy on penalty kicks after Zidane's ejection for headbutting Marco Materazzi.

22 October 1908 - Denmark Spins The A Side

On 22 October 1908, Denmark defeated France in the football semi-finals at the Fourth Olympiad before a crowd of approximately 1,000 at White City Stadium in London. The final score was 17-1.

Only six teams showed up for the tournament, including two from France. The other participants were Great Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Bohemia and Hungary had been scheduled to play, but withdrew before the tournament began.

The Danes advanced to the semi-finals by defeating the French "B" side, 9-0, on the first matchday. Against the French "A" side on 22 October, Denmark quickly picked up where it had left off, drawing first blood in the 3rd minute with a goal from forward Sophus Nielsen. Nielsen added another in the 4th minute, then completed his first hat-trick of the day in the 6th minute.

Nielsen went on to score a total of 10 goals that day (3', 4', 6', 39', 46', 48', 52', 64', 66', 76'). Denmark's other goals came from August Lindgren (18', 37'), Vilhelm Wolfhagen (60', 72', 82', 89'), and Nils Middelboe (68').

France's only goal was scored by winger Émile Sartorius in the 16th minute. Although the French were supposed to play the Netherlands in the bronze medal match, they were so humiliated by the loss to Denmark that they declined to play (Sweden took their place).

Denmark's offensive might abandoned them in the gold medal match on 24 October. They lost to Great Britain, 2-0.

1 August 1996 - Women's Football Goes Olympic

On 1 August 1996, the United States took the gold medal by defeating China 2-1 in the Womens' Final of the Summer Olympics before a crowd of 76,489 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. At the time, it was largest crowd in history to watch a women's sporting event.

It was the first time that women's football had been included in the Olympics. Eight teams qualified and were divided into two groups. The United States and China were in the same group and played each other to a 0-0 draw on 25 July. They both won their matches against group members Sweden and Denmark to finish in the group's top two spots, with China in first place on goal differential.

In the knockout rounds, the United States beat Norway 2-1 (a.e.t.) and China defeated Brazil 3-2 to set up the rematch in the gold medal game.

Midfielder Shannon MacMillan scored first to put the US ahead in the 19th minute, but China equalized in the 32nd minute with a goal from midfielder Sun Wen. In the 68th minute, US forward Tiffeny Milbrett again put the US ahead, then gave way to midfielder Tiffany Roberts three minutes later as the US side protected its lead to the final whistle, claiming the first ever gold medal in Olympic women's football.

26 June 1992 - Is There A Danish Word For "Cinderella"?

On 26 June 1992, Denmark won the UEFA European Championship, defeating Germany 2-0 before a crowd of 37,800 at Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The Danes were unlikely champions, having initially failed to qualify for the tournament. They finished second in their qualifying group, losing out to Yugoslavia by a single point. On 30 May 1992, however, just eleven days before the opening day of the tournament, the United Nations issued a trade embargo against Yugoslavia in response to that country's ongoing ethnic conflicts. Yugoslavia was thus disqualified from participating and Denmark was called in as a replacement.

As to be expected from a team that had not been planning to play in the tournament, the Danish side got off to a shaky start, drawing with England (0-0) and losing to hosts Sweden (1-0), before finally securing a win against France (2-1) in its last group stage match. The win placed Denmark second in its group, just one point of ahead of both France and England, and sent the Danes through to the knockout rounds.

In its first knockout match, Denmark faced the Netherlands, who were the defending Euro title holders. After trading goals to finish 2-2 at the end of extra time, Denmark won on penalties, 5-4, to advance to the Final against defending World Cup champions Germany.

In the Final, Danish midfielder John Jensen (pictured) opened the scoring in the 18th minute. Describing his goal after the match, Jensen told the press: "The first 20 minutes of football were the hardest most of us had ever faced. The Germans were all over the pitch and we couldn't get into our play. We were working tirelessly and suddenly I had the chance to have a shot at goal. I remember the manager had said to me before the game that if I have a chance to take a shot, then I should go for it."

The Danes kept Germany from scoring and, in the 78th minute, Jensen's midfield partner Kim Vilfort added a second goal as unnecessary insurance. The match ended at 2-0, giving the Danes their first major trophy.

15 June 1924 - They Come From The Land Of The Ice And Snow

On 15 June 1924, Sweden came from behind to win the inaugural match of the Nordic Football Championship, defeating Denmark 3-2 at the Idrætsparken in Copenhagen before a crowd of 25,000.

That first tournament was played over the course of five years, with each of the three participating countries - Sweden, Denmark, and Norway - playing each other team twice each year. Finland joined in 1929 at the start of the second tournament and both Iceland and the Faroe Islands joined in 2000.

In that opening match, Denmark took a 2-0 lead early in the second half with goals from Alf Olsen (2') and Ernst Nilsson (47'), before Sweden surged back. Striker Per Kaufeldt started the rally with a goal in the 56th minute and then 19-year-old Sven Rydell equalized in the 65th minute. Rydell completed his brace with the game winner in the 74th minute.

When the tournament ended in 1928, Rydell was the leading goal scorer with 15 (12 of which came in matches against Norway, including two hat-tricks and one match in which he scored four). Denmark claimed the first title, however, finishing with 7 wins, 2 draws, and only 1 loss to top the table with 16 points, three more than second-place finisher Sweden. Norway was last with a single point.