Soccer Football - Nations League - Group Stage - Serbia v Denmark - Dubocica Stadium, Leskovac, Serbia - November 18, 2024 Serbia's Andrija Zivkovic in action with Denmark's Mikkel Damsgaard REUTERS/Marko Djurica
LESKOVAC, Serbia - Denmark secured a Nations League quarter-final spot on Monday thanks to a 0-0 draw away to Serbia, who missed out on the knockout rounds and had defender Strahinja Pavlovic sent off late in a game they dominated.
Denmark finished second in Group A4 on eight points, eight adrift of Spain and two ahead of Serbia, with Switzerland already relegated and finishing bottom on two points.
Despite a good start by Denmark, who needed at least a point to secure second spot, Serbia quickly took charge and bombarded the visiting defence in the first half but goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and his rearguard stood firm.
The home side continued to attack after the break as they fired in a succession of crosses but they tired as the game wore on, allowing the Danes to try to hit them on the counter.
Dusan Vlahovic missed a great chance to put Serbia ahead in the 80th minute, blazing his shot high when he really should have scored, much to the disappointment of the packed crowd.
As the tension reached boiling point, Pavlovic was booked in the 90th minute and sent off when he picked up a second yellow card five minutes into stoppage time as Serbia failed to get the goal they needed to go through at Denmark's expense.
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor; Editing by Ken Ferris)
