There was nothing to play for in the grand scheme of qualification here, but the Danes were hot favourites to avoid claiming the wooden spoon. Janni Thomsen had a gilt-edged opportunity to fire Denmark into an early lead, but when she was left unmarked six yards from goal, she incredibly volleyed over the bar.
That miss looked costly just moments later when Natalia Padilla was quickest to pounce on a loose ball inside the area and slam home what was Poland’s first goal of the tournament after Ewelina Kamczyk’s cross caused havoc amongst the Danish defence.
Goalscorer turned provider soon after as the Poles doubled their advantage, with Padilla planting a perfect cross onto the head of record scorer Ewa Pajor, who steered home to fire Poland two goals ahead.
Denmark were visibly shell-shocked and were fortunate not to fall three goals behind in comical circumstances. Kamczyk’s effort from distance looked to be going comfortably into the hands of Maja Bay Ostergaard, but the ball slipped through her fingers and only the crossbar spared her blushes.
The woodwork was shaking at the other end before the break too, as Denmark reminded Poland they were still in a game when Signe Bruun crashed a header against the bar.
A goalkeeping error in the first half went unpunished for Denmark, but they were the beneficiaries of a clanger in the second period. In eerily similar circumstances to the first half, it was Janni Thomsen who tried her luck from distance this time and her effort, although appearing easy for Kinga Szemik to catch, slipped through her fingers and bounced over the line.
Denmark were firmly in the ascendancy from there, and though they’d drawn level when, in her last international tournament, Nadia Nadim squeezed home a leveller but her celebrations were cut short after she was adjudged to have strayed offside in the build-up.
Their disappointment was compounded just moments later when, against the run of play, Martyna Wiankowska arrowed an effort in off the crossbar to re-establish Poland’s two-goal cushion.
Bruun soon cut that advantage back down to one when she headed home Katrine Veje’s delivery, but that served as little more than a consolation for Denmark, who lost three games in a single Euros campaign for the first time in history.
Flashscore Player of the Match: Natalia Padilla (Poland)