Arsenal star Christian Norgaard played the full 90 minutes as Denmark beat Greece in a World Cup qualifier on Sunday night.
Norgaard has hardly featured for the Gunners since arriving from Brentford in the summer, but was granted a start for his nation in a crucial qualifying match.
The Danes ran out 3-1 winners, with goals from Rasmus Hojlund, Joachim Andersen and Mikkel Damsgaard negating Christos Tzolis’ consolation for the Greeks.
The result sees Denmark move top of the qualification group, level with Scotland with two games remaining.
Danish media react to Christian Norgaard’s performance against Greece
Arsenal signed Norgaard for just £15 million in the summer.
After a promising pre-season, the 31-year-old suffered an injury that kept him out for the opening few weeks of the campaign.
Despite returning to action mid-September, the defensive midfielder has been limited to just a short cameo in a Champions League match against Athletic Club and a League Cup third-round start.
Thus, he’ll have been delighted to have been named in Brian Riemer’s starting eleven for Denmark’s clash with Greece on Sunday.
Deployed in a midfield trio with Morten Hjulmand and Victor Foholdt, Norgaard produced an accomplished display in captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s absence.
Danish media were full of praise for his performance, with Tipsbladet describing the ex-Brentford man’s outing as ‘calm’.
“It is never optimal to be without the captain, but Højbjerg’s absence was never a problem today,” they wrote, awarding Norgaard with a three out of five in their ratings.
“It is a luxury for Riemer to be able to put an Arsenal player in his place. Nørgaard contributed as expected, with calm and overview and was an important point of balance.”
Meanwhile, B.T. gave him a four out of six, writing: “Things are going very well for the Danish national team when the Danish national team captain from Marseille Pierre Emile Højbjerg can be replaced by a Dane from Arsenal. Nørgaard was about to land in the Greeks’ good start, but from there it slipped into olive oil.”
Christian Norgaard’s statistics vs Greece
Norgaard has been praised for his personality and leadership off the pitch, but he still has plenty to offer on it.
Tasked with being a metronomic midfielder at the base of the Danish midfield, he rose to the occasion, delivering an impressive showing.
| Christian Norgaard’s statistics vs Greece | |
| Minutes Played | 90 |
| Touches | 76 |
| Tackles | 2 |
| Shots | 1 |
| Accurate Passes | 53/65 (82%) |
| Passes into the Final Third | 9 |
| Clearances | 3 |
| Recoveries | 4 |
Managing 72 touches and completing 53 passes, Norgaard was heavily involved and at the heart of all of Denmark’s build-up.
He was progressive with his passing, completing nine passes into the final third, while his defensive work remained typically astute, making two tackles, three clearances and four recoveries.
Encouraging signs for the experienced Premier League star, who could now be in line for more regular opportunities at Arsenal.
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