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No one will ever forget Denmark's most famous hour when it won the 1992 European Championship in Sweden after its players were unexpectedly summoned from their summer holiday retreats to replace war-torn Yugoslavia in the finals. It was a fairytale script even Hans Christian Andersen would have been hard pushed to better. Yet in a sense, that most unlikely of all triumphs has become a noose around Denmark's necks. Only sporadically have the Danes since come anywhere near matching the form showed that summer, and now they find themselves vying with both Sweden and Norway as Scandinavia's number one footballing nation. Many wondered whether there would be life after the Laudrups when the Danes took only two points from their first four qualifying games, but a remarkable 3-2 away victory over Italy after being two goals down showed what they were capable of. An 8-0 aggregate win over Israel in the playoffs increased confidence in the camp. Even at the end of March, however, coach Bo Johansson said considerable work still needed doing ahead of Euro 2000. One particular member of the Danish squad will be hoping to end an illustrious career in style. Peter Schmeichel has been keeping a low profile since leaving Manchester United for Sporting Lisbon but is still a huge presence in the Danish camp and is bound to inspire his colleagues who, in turn, will need all his shot-stopping skills to emerge unscathed from the Group of Death in which they are the underdogs. The Danes often play better against superior opposition, however, making the outcome of the group even tougher to predict. CNNSI.com's Gabriele Marcotti: This is probably the toughest group, so there will be little shame for Denmark if, as expected, it finishes bottom. The Laudrups are gone for good, Peter Schmeichel's heroics can't go on forever and it's difficult to see Ebbe Sand and Jon Dahl Tomasson (or whoever Bo Johansson plays up front) scoring goals at this level.
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Denmark
