Iversen Shutout Not Enough For Denmark At U21 EURO
- Leicester City goalkeeper Daniel Iversen kept a clean sheet in Denmark Under-21s' 2-0 win over Serbia
- The victory was not enough for the Danes to keep their semi-final hopes alive in Italy
- Following a 1-1 draw for Group B leaders Germany, Denmark needed to win by three goals
- In their bid to be the best-placed runners-up, Iversen's side had a goal disallowed by VAR
Leicester City goalkeeper Iversen has been ever-present in Italy this summer, starring in an opening defeat by Germany and an impressive victory over Austria in the competition.
Complicated permutations dictated that Denmark would only top Group B if they won and if Germany lost 2-0 to Serbia in the other fixture, which was being played concurrently in Udine.
However, the Germans, starting on six points, were already a goal ahead before Denmark, on three points, had raced into an early lead of their own.
Borussia Dortmund forward Jacob Bruun Larsen put Niels Frederiksen's young Danes ahead in Trieste by latching onto a smart pass from Joakim Mæhle in the 21st minute.
While Austria did level the scores to make it 1-1, Germany knew they would win the group, even in defeat, owing to their superior head-to-head record against Denmark.
That meant that Denmark would have to win by three clear goals to lead the charts in the contest to reach the last-four as the best-placed runners-up.
While France - also in with a chance - are set to play on Monday, Denmark first needed to match Italy's +3 goal difference, as their 'goals scored' record would be superior.
Denmark's hopes increased in the second half following Fiorentina defender Jacob Rasmussen's strike to make it 2-0, but heartbreak lay on the horizon for Iversen's side.
When Philip Billing netted on the hour-mark it seemed as though Denmark were firmly in the running to reach the semi-finals, but a VAR review led to the goal being disallowed for offside.
Iversen's attacking colleagues did all they could to score a precious third goal in the latter moments. Serbia, though, were able to keep them at bay and knock Denmark out.
Elsewhere, on Monday, England's Under-21s, who have James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, and Demarai Gray available, face Croatia (8pm BST kick-off).
Both the Young Lions and Filip Benković's Croatia have been knocked out of the competition after suffering defeats to Romania and France in their opening fixtures.
Following an excellent performance against England, however, Alex Pașcanu's Romania tackle France at the same time and are still in with a chance of qualifying for the next round.
As usual, check back to LCFC.com on Monday evening for a full report on how the Foxes stars in action fare for their countries' Under-21s sides.