Denmark’s imperious showing in the 6-0 win over Malta was fuelled by their determination to conclude the World Cup qualifiers on a high and atone for a below-par display in the corresponding match last month, according to midfielder Christian Eriksen.
“We wanted to end on a good note and secure second place,” the Tottenham playmaker said.
“Of course, we hoped for a miracle but we didn’t get it. On Tuesday, we took our chances well as we had to make up for the way we played in Malta because it was really difficult over there (Denmark won 2-1).”
Thanks to their win and Bulgaria’s 1-0 defeat at home to the Czech Republic, Denmark claimed the runners-up spot behind Group B winners Italy but missed out on the play-offs as they had the worst record among the nine second-placed teams in the European qualifying zone.
“Everyone had hoped that we could go through but of the home games we’ve played, this was the first that we got the three points and that is where we blew our chances,” Eriksen said.
“We had three draws when we should have taken six to nine points.”
Eriksen now turns his focus on his club commitments and the Spurs’ pursuit of a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Tottenham will be looking to get back to winning ways this weekend when they travel to Aston Villa after a shock 3-0 defeat to West Ham before the international break.
“It’s hard,” Eriksen said of the battle for Champions League spots.
“At Tottenham we are hoping to achieve a top-four finish. We want to bounce back from last week when we lost 3-0 (to West Ham) and we must get the points.”
Liverpool defender Daniel Agger said Denmark didn’t expect such an easy win over Malta.
“We didn’t expect it because Malta played so well at home,” the Denmark captain said.
“But as you could see, the pitch here was perfect and we could play on the ground and produce quick attacks. We did what we had to do... scoring goals.”
The 2-2 draw against Italy crushed Danish spirits as the outcome scuppered their play-off chances but Agger insisted that on Tuesday they were motivated to get their first home win in these qualifiers.
“We were unlucky to draw against Italy last week,” Agger, 28, said.
“We had to show that we can also win at home and I think all the players did really well.”
Agger said Denmark had left themselves with too much to do after dropping precious points in their first five qualifiers, including a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Armenia.
Agger said: “It was not against Italy that we lost our play-off chances but in other games last season when we dropped many points.”
Asked for his views on Malta’s performance, Agger said: “Let’s just say that they played a lot better when we met them there (in Malta). But we deserve credit for our performance here.”