Northern Ireland fell to a 2–1 defeat against Denmark in Copenhagen, despite taking an early lead courtesy of an own goal by Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, as Christian Eriksen ultimately struck the winner in a second-half comeback.

Michael O’Neill’s youthful side, featuring a starting line-up with an average age of just 23.4, delivered a much-improved defensive display following March’s 5–1 drubbing in Sweden. Though they left the Parken Stadium empty-handed, the performance against top-level opposition was a confidence booster ahead of September’s World Cup qualifying opener in Luxembourg.

O’Neill made seven changes from the side that started in Stockholm, with Conor Bradley, Trai Hume and Daniel Ballard all returning, while Conor Hazard was given the nod in goal.

Despite the typically raucous pre-match atmosphere, the Danish crowd was silenced just six minutes in. Northern Ireland's high press forced 18-year-old debutant Lucas Høgsberg into a loose pass out from defence. Justin Devenny, bright throughout, pounced on the mistake. The Crystal Palace man, deployed at left wing-back, drove into the area and his low cross—after deflecting off Joachim Andersen—was turned into his own net by Højbjerg under pressure from Shea Charles.

Gustav Isaksen emerged as Denmark’s primary threat early on, repeatedly troubling the Northern Irish back line with his quick feet. However, he was shown to have dived under a challenge from captain Hume—referee Menelaos Antoniou of Cyprus unimpressed.

As expected, Denmark dominated possession, but Northern Ireland defended resolutely, with Ballard notably heading away a series of crosses. The hosts did not register a shot on target until the second minute of first-half stoppage time—and when they did, they equalised.

After drifting into a central position, Isaksen collected a clever pass from Brentford’s Mikkel Damsgaard on the edge of the area and curled a precise strike around Hume into the bottom corner of Hazard’s goal.

Hazard, who had earlier received treatment following a collision with Rasmus Højlund, was substituted at half-time, with Pierce Charles replacing him between the sticks.

Northern Ireland found it difficult to build any momentum after the interval. Bradley had a quiet evening, and Dion Charles—still searching for his first goal since joining Huddersfield—struggled to hold up the ball.

The Danes applied sustained pressure as the second half wore on. Charles was called into action quickly, diving low to save a Christian Nørgaard header. Moments later, Ballard headed Andersen’s effort off the line, before Hume made a vital block to deny Høgsberg from close range.

Despite the increasingly scrappy nature of the game, Denmark eventually broke through. Isaksen’s low cross ricocheted off both Hume and Ballard, allowing Eriksen—having eluded Shea Charles—to coolly slot home his 45th international goal in the 67th minute.

Denmark thought they had added a third through Mika Biereth, only for the flag to go up for offside. Pierce Charles remained busy late on, pulling off a superb double save to deny Mathias Kvistgaarden and Morten Hjulmand, preserving a respectable scoreline for the visitors.