Despite a loss against Denmark, France narrowly avoided relegation from the Nations League and a berth in next year’s championships.
After losing 3-1 to Croatia on Sunday, Austria was demoted and ended one point below France.
To qualify for the championship game next summer, Denmark needed to win and hoped Croatia would lose to Austria.
The hosts in Copenhagen scored two goals in the first half from Kasper Dolberg and Andreas Skov Olsen.
READ MORE: Pak vs Eng: Pakistan edged past England by three runs in a thrilling encounter
By defeating Austria on Thursday, world champions France, who beat Spain 2-1 in last year’s Nations League final, snapped a four-game losing streak and rose off the bottom of the group.
At Parken Stadium, Kylian Mbappe pushed Kasper Schmeichel into action after a corner as France mounted early pressure. France needed to win to ensure their top-tier position in the championship.
Skov Olsen intercepted a beautiful pass over the top by the Manchester United midfielder after Christian Eriksen had helped Denmark start to pose more of a threat.
To build up Dolberg’s breakthrough, Eriksen found Mikkel Damsgaard on the right; the striker glided to meet the Brentford winger’s low cross.
Joakim Maehle and Thomas Delaney were initially stopped by Alphonse Areola, who also made saves from Skov Olsen and then doubled the lead with a spectacular shot from outside the box.
Due to Croatia’s victory against them on Thursday, Denmark lost the opportunity to lock themselves a spot in the championship game.
Schmeichel was in excellent form as he denied Mbappe three times in as many minutes to give Kasper Hjulmand’s team the victory they needed for the game. But it was insufficient as Croatia scored two goals in the second half to take first place by one point.