Good afternoon and welcome to Sports Mole's live commentary of the opening match of Group B between Holland and Denmark.
With other group members Germany and Portugal set to go later this evening, the winner here will, at least momentarily, top the group.
The Dutch head into the tournament following an almost faultless qualifying campaign, while the Danes automatically reached the finals from a group that included the likes of Portugal and Norway.
Note that the game gets underway at 5pm.
18.53Portugal and Germany will rubbing their hands in glee at that one! Talking of which, you will be able to follow live commentary of that encounter right here in just over 30 minutes time. Stay tuned and thanks for your company!
18.52One of the biggest shocks in recent European Championships history. Holland have 28 attempts at goal but a single strike from Denmark's Krohn-Dehli was enough for the underdogs to take all three points.
90+3 minFULL TIME: Holland 0-1 Denmark
90+2 minHolland on one last attack...but crosses from Kuyt and Van Bommel are poor.
90+2 minJust seen a replay of the handball incident and Denmark defender Lars Jacobsen definitely makes a connection with his hand. A certain penalty there. The Danes escape. Meanwhile, Van Persie heads over, again!
90+1 minCorner to Holland...which Heitinga and Huntelaar between them spurn between them.
90 minThree minutes of stoppage time to be played.
89 minBig handball shouts from the Dutch inside the area which are dismissed by the referee. Need to see a replay of that.
87 minThis is strangely easy for Denmark at the moment. They seem to be keeping the ball with relative ease. Holland are sitting off! Three minutes to go, plus stoppage time.
86 minIt seems I have cursed Huntelaar. Not only did he fluff that golden opportunity, but he hasn't found a teammate with a telling pass to my knowledge.
84 minThe former Liverpool man replaces Gregory Van der Wiel, while Tobias Mikkelsen takes the place of Rommedahl for Denmark.
82 minOkay, I'm going to put my neck on the line and say Holland won't score here! As it stands, they have run out of ideas, which may not be helped by the imminent arrival of Dirk Kuyt!
81 minDenmark's William Kvist is booked for handball.
79 minPoor from Robben. Very poor. The classy Sneijder picks him out on the right. He then cut inside before ballooning the ball over the bar. Champions League hangover?
77 minVery witty from Savage on Twitter: "I think huntelaar has got van Persies boots on who he'd borrowed off samaras!!"
76 minYet another corner to Holland. This time maybe? No!
75 minVan Persie and Huntelaar scored 85 goals for their respective clubs this season. Both staggering and unbelievable at the same time.
74 minOkay, forget what I just said about Huntelaar, erase it from your memory! The Schalke striker breaks free, only to delay his shot and lose possession to Anderson. Dear oh dear.
73 minA change for the Danish. A disappointing Eriksen is replaced by his Ajax teammate Lasse Schone.
72 minAnother corner for Holland as Van der Vaart's cross is cleared...which comes out to the Spurs midfielder, who troubles the crowd rather than Anderson with his effort.
71 minMeanwhile, Nigel De Jong and Affelay make way for Huntelaar and Tottenham's Van der Vaart. Remember we tipped Huntelaar to make an impact at half-time. You heard it heard first!
70 minKrohn-Dehli again forces Stekelenburg into a low save as the Danish make a rare venture forward. He looks a decent player does Krohn-Dehli.
69 minWhile we wait to see who they replace, Robbie Savage on Twitter: "Has van persie got samaras' boots on?" That would certainly explain a lot!!
68 minAnd two changes. Huntelaar and Rafael van der Vaart are waiting to come on...
66 minThe first booking and surprise, surprise it goes to Mark van Bommel.
65 minEverybody's favourite player and England's best midfielder Joey Barton on Twitter: "Sneijder is running the show here. Absolute quality." In fairness, it is hard to disagree with Joseph on this occasion.
63 minAs Ray Wilkins has said a million times: "My word." How has Robben missed that?! He has a more than presentable header from ten yards but sends the ball well wide.
62 minFormer England midfielder Geoff Thomas on Twitter: "Denmark proving being well organised goes a long way in international football. Holland by far the better team but ....... Barca v Chelsea." Told you!!!
61 minJan Molby talking to BBC Sport: "Huntelaar, Van der Vaart and Dirk Kuyt are all warming up for the Dutch. That's what having a great squad gives you."
60 minVan Persie wins a corner for the Dutch...which is claimed by Anderson with a towering catch.
59 minAnd hit it he does - straight into the wall! Yet another poor set-piece in this encounter.
58 minFree-kick to Holland around 25 yards from goal. Get the feeling Sneijder will hit this...
56 minI did the live commentary for Sports Mole during the Champions League final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich last month. It is still early, but this game has many similarities!
55 minDenmark (remember them?!) create a chance. Defender Simon Poulsen pulls the ball across goal but no support is forthcoming. Had anyone been running in it would almost certainly be 2-0.
54 minWhich Jonny Heitinga should have scored. The Everton defender meets it powerfully but he heads well over.
53 minCorner to Holland...make that another corner as Van Bommel's cross is cleared behind...
52 minAnother chance for the Dutch. Affelay drills a shot just wide of Anderson's goal from 20 yards out. That is now 19 efforts for Holland. Surely they have to score soon.
51 minGreat effort from skipper Mark van Bommel, who leathers a shot goalwards which is turned for a corner by Anderson.
50 minWhat has happened to Robin van Persie? Is this the same player that scored week after week for Arsenal?! On this occasion he is through on goal, but kicks his standing foot before tumbling over. I'm convinced it is less talented twin brother!
48 minWhich Van Persie heads way over.
47 minCorner to Holland as Robben's shot is deflected over...
46 minSome lovely passing between Van Persie and Sneijder on the edge of the Denmark box but the attack comes to nothing. The Dutch certainly look sharper.
45 minBack to the action. Denmark get us underway. They are 45 minutes away from creating a big upset in the tournament's history.
18.01One more from Redknapp. Asked by Gary Linekar if we would have accepted the England job, he replied: "Of course".
18.00'Arry on BBC Sport: "The Netherlands are a dangerous team going forward but their back four looks average." Fair point.
17.57Right, a quick scout of a few betting sites shows that many are offering odds of 3/1 that Holland overturn this deficit to win the match. If they create as many chances as they did in the first half, it looks a good bet!
17.50The more you think about this, the more you realise that Holland really cannot afford to lose this - particularly with Germany and Portugal to come. Perhaps good old 'Arry was right with his prediction earlier on. Someone should make him England manager! Back in five!
17.49And there you have it folks! 45 minutes done and somehow Holland are 1-0 down. It would be fair to say that Van Persie is having one of those days at the moment. Perhaps the clinical Klaas-Jan Huntelaar will come on to save the day?
17.47HALF-TIME - Holland 0-1 Denmark
45 minIn a word, no! Although maybe it should have been. Bendtner flicked the ball on but Agger was unable to react in time. One minute of stoppage time to be played.
44 minCorner for Denmark. Is this Agger's moment to shine?
43 minOkay, I'm really regretting putting RVP in my dream at the moment. Sneijder finds him all alone inside the area but his touch is poor (very poor infact) and Anderson comes out to deny his effort.
42 minKrohn-Dehli again involved as Denmark end the half brightly. On this occasion his low drive from 20 yards out his held by Stekelenburg.
40 minChance for Denmark to extend their lead. Niki Zimling appears to get in the way of Krohn-Dehli as the former scuffs wide. A bit of communication and it could well have been 2-0.
39 minAnother chance for Holland and another shot that flies off target. It is Afellay again, shooting way over after beating two opponents.
38 minHave to confess that I had seen very little of goalscorer Krohn-Dehli before this. The Bronby man certainly has two good feet. Watching managers are likely to have been impressed by his display so far.
36 minROBBEN HITS THE POST! Denmark Goalkeeper Anderson passes the ball straight to the Bayern Munich, whose casual effort from the edge of box strikes the outside of the post. Big escape for Anderson and Denmark.
35 minHaving said that, there is a long, long way to go here.
34 minBBC Sport commentator Jonathan Pearce has just revealed that a pint of beer around the stadium costs 50p. You'd expect quite a few sore Danish heads in the morning if they hold on here!
32 minMore from Molby on his nation's shock goal: "That's what can happen if you've got a little bit of ability. It is completely against the run of play, but Holland did not score when they were on top. The Dutch defence and goalkeeper must do better. 1-0, game on."
31 minThe goal appears to have installed some confidence into the Danish. They are stroking the ball around with a bit more authority now.
30 minTo rub salt in the wound he clattered into his own teammate Affelay, who is now off the pitch and receiving treatment for a head injury.
29 minIt appears that Vlaar is not much cop in front of goal either! The defender meets a corner from Robben but skims a headed effort well wide.
28 minVan Persie is like a kid in the playground at the moment. The Arsenal man is everywhere, although he is having very little success.
27 minIt may only be one goal, but Holland's defence could be what costs them in this tournament. The days of the De Boer twins and Jaap Stam are long gone. In all honesty, are the likes of Vlaar international class?
26 minNow we will see what the Dutch are made off. They have dominated this match from the very beginning but yet they are losing. How will they will react?
23 minWhere an earth did that come from?! Denmark have barely attacked all game and yet they are 1-0 up! Krohn-Dehli jinks his way into the area before slotting the ball through Stekelenburg's legs. What a cool finish.
23 minGOAL! Holland 0-1 Denmark (Michael Krohn-Dehli)
22 minAnother half chance for Van Persie, who swivels free of his marker but he cannot get enough power on his shot.
19 minShould be 1-0 to Holland. Major chance. Robben, with only the goalkeeper to beat, opts to square for Sneijder six yards from goal and the danger is thwarted. Unusual poor decision making from the Dutchman.
17.18Dennis Rommedahl actually exploits some poor positioning from Willems. However, the former Charlton Athletic man's cross is easily collected by the giant Stekelenburg in goal.
17 minFor someone so young and inexperienced, Willems looks so comfortable in possession. Yet to be tested defensively, but the full-back looks a threat going forward.
15 minDenmark do not look comfortable in possession. Everything they are doing seems rushed.
14 minHaving won the kick, Van Persie takes the strike, which ends up in the wall. Carbon copy of Eriksen's effort.
13 minVan Persie is fouled on the edge of the box. Big chance for the Dutch coming up. Can they do better than Eriksen up the other end?
12 minAlmost a chance for Holland. RVP chips in for Wesley Sneijder but the Inter Milan cannot make a clean connection with his head and the opportunity passes.
11 minGood feet from Barcelona and Holland's Ibrahim Afellay, who cuts inside his man before shooting harmlessly over.
10 minIt was Eriksen (you know, the one that is chased by all those top clubs) that struck the free-kick straight into the wall! Disappointing.
09 minChance for Denmark, who have a free-kick 25 yards from goal following a foul on Nicklas Bendtner by Vlaar. Several stand over the kick...
08 minFirst site of goal for Robin van Persie, but he sends his scuffed effort from 12 yards harmlessly wide of goal. More dream team points bite the dust!
07 minHolland are controlling all the possession currently, without causing too much trouble. You do feel that they could create something at the drop of hat though.
06 minAnother note about the crowd, those behind the goal look to be a long way from the pitch. Binoculars could well be in order! Anyway, back to the football!
04 minChance for Dutch youngster Jetro Willems, who has just 45 senior appearances to his name. The young full-back lashes over from distance. Worth a dig though.
03 minTold you to get on Agger at 25/1! No he hasn't scored, but he wins a battle in the air and forces Holland goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg into making the first save of the match. Dangerous.
02 minThe first that is starkingly obvious is all the empty seats inside the ground. It appears that ticket and accommodation prices have put the Dutch and the Danes off.
01 minThe Dutch get us underway. Game on.
17.00By the way, I'm going 2-0 Holland.
17.00The Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv is awash with Orange. The Dutch have certainly one the battle off the pitch.
16.59Eight, in case you are interested! Can you tell we are desperate for the football to get underway?!
16.58Over to Holland - how many of their team will be singing?
16.57Which, incidentally, not too many of their players appear to know! Either that, or they are too cool to be caught singing on TV!
16.56Players out and the Danish national anthem is underway.
16.55They do have some quality in their side. This tournament is the first major one for Christian Eriksen, who has been linked with almost every European club!
16.54Of course, Jan, we are hoping that it won't be a "scrappy" game! One does feel though that "scrappy" is the only chance his boys have of getting a positive result.
16.53Here's a bit from former Liverpool and Denmark midfielder Jan Molby on BBC Sport: "What I expect the Danes to do is to play possession football. They tend to dominate their games. They will try to get hold of the ball and knock it around, and take the sting out of Holland. If Denmark can make it a scrappy game they will be happy with that."
16.52Harry Redknapp has just said that he feels Holland will not qualify from the group. Bold statement indeed from 'Arry, who describes Portugal as "very dangerous". Does he have a point?
16.50A lot of people seem to have written Denmark off here. However, they lost just one match in qualifying, conceding just six goals in the process. For all the talent Holland have going forward, they could find their opponents hard to break down.
16.48For those who like an outsider, how about Daniel Agger to notch the first goal of the game for the Danes at 25/1? You can thank us later!
16.47While we wait for the teams, let's have a little look at some tempting bets. Most bookmakers have Holland to win both halves at 4/1 - with their firepower there is no reason why not! Also, Robben is a 7/1 shot for the first goalscorer. You heard it hear first!
16.42This game also marks the start for a lot of people's fantasy football teams with the likes of Van Persie, Robben and Sneijder all featuring. Mine got off to the worse possible start yesterday - thanks Mr Szczesny!
16.41By the way, the teams are in! A host of Premier League footballers feature among the 22 players. Find out who is and who is out here.
16.36Here, we are focusing on one of the pre-tournament favourites Holland, who open up their campaign against Denmark. Who do we all fancy? The safe money says the Dutch, but do not rule out a stubborn Danish side.
16.34Afternoon all! So, day one featured seven goals, a missed penalty and two red cards. What are the chances of day two beating that?
Written by
Liam Apicella
Liam Apicella
