Denmark secured the first huge surprise of the European Championship with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands on Saturday in Group B.

And it was Michael Krohn-Dehli that provided the lethal finishing that the Dutch inexplicably lacked.

Krohn-Dehli scored against the run of play when he picked up a loose ball close to the penalty area in the 24th minute, left two defenders standing and shot through the legs of Maarten Stekelenburg from a tight angle.

Wasteful: Van Persie had a bad day at the office

It was something Premier League top scorer Robin van Persie never got close to as he came to symbolize Dutch futility with a couple of bad mistakes. Denmark goalkeeper Stephan Andersen made several clutch saves to secure the most important Danish victory over the Netherlands since the Euro 1992 semifinals.

'It was the only dangerous action of Denmark,' Netherlands captain Mark van Bommel said. 'I'm speechless, because these three points are very important.'

The Dutch came closest to scoring when Andersen gave away the ball to Arjen Robben just outside the area in the 36th minute, but the Bayern Munich winger curled his left-footer onto the far post and out of danger.

'Five of us had chances,' Van Bommel said. 'Once we hit the post. So many good opportunities.'

The frustration came to symbolize the sticky night in eastern Ukraine and leaves the World Cup runners-up with two clutch games against top-10 ranked teams, Germany and Portugal.

Late in the match, a penalty appeal for handball was denied when the Dutch were running out of time as Lars Jacobsen appeared to touch the ball with his upper arm in the box.

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