LONDON - Casper Hjölmund strikes you as a not-so-angry man, shortly after Denmark's annihilation at the hands of England. Rather, the one that vibrates through the laptop screen during his remote press conference is one of those who feel frustrated and confused.
"You can't go out like this, some things shouldn't happen," he said. "I feel bitter."
Hjulmond is referring to the penalty awarded to England as the end of the first period of extra time. One was Raheem Sterling leaving behind Joachim Mahle and went down. One which was given despite the fact that there were two balls on the pitch a few seconds earlier and play was not stopped, as is usually the case in these circumstances. That video was checked by the assistant referee (VAR), but not sent to referee Danny McKeely for on-field review.
"That penalty decided the game," he said. "Without it there's 1-1 more penalties and who knows what would have happened. That's why I'm pissed."
These post-game moments are not the time to point out that England created more chances and, on the balance of the game, are more than worthy finalists. Or that the second ball on the pitch didn't affect the game of many. Or that the VAR should only interfere with the presence of "obvious and obvious" errors and, perhaps, if McAly did indeed make an error, it was not necessarily clear and obvious.
Instead, it felt like a time when Denmark did in this tournament. And what this group of players and staff achieved will go on.
He watched his teammate and best player Christian Eriksson collapse on the pitch and, in the words of his own medical staff, "leave us" before some combination of divine and scientific "brought him back." And then he found himself back on the pitch, doing something that would have seemed completely irrelevant: playing a football match against Finland.
They lost that game, as well as the next one, against Belgium, before enjoying the kind of story that would seem impossible even in the world of fan fiction. And, progressing to the semifinals, they became the choice of neutrals, beloved by everyone with no skin in the game. Part of it was the Ericsson story, part of it was the fresh-mouthed, next-man-up quality of Mikel Damsgaard, part of it was the leadership of Simon Kjaer, the snarl of Kasper Schmeichel, the drive of Mahle. It was all about Denmark coming together and believing in the impossible.
And he had reason to believe in Wembley as well. Outgunned, outmanned, out-backed he nevertheless took the lead in the first half through a mix of quality (Damsgaard's honey sweet strike) and ingenuity (Danish England keeper Jordan Pickford lining up on the screen). England equalized before the break, but, nevertheless, Denmark coach Hjulmund was sure the game was there to take.
He also kept believing that his players started dropping one by one. He would make five substitutions in the final 23 minutes of regular time and all of them were implemented.
"None of the first five substitutions were tactical, I had to make changes because the players struggled or were injured," he said. "I didn't have a choice."
Denmark was burning up. And, yet, they hung there. Right until the second ball hit the pitch and Sterling went down. Because the game can be particularly brutal, there was also the illusion of another miracle when Schmeichel passed Harry Kane's shot. That lasted a sliver of a millisecond, until Kane followed up by poking the ball home. And because there is no end to the difficulty, when things start to turn against you, they played the final 15 minutes with 10 men, as after Hujulmand's final replacement - the only one that was not implemented - Mathias Jensen went down Injured.
Does it feel more brutal than going out in the group stage, as many felt was inevitable after two opening defeats? In some ways, probably yes. You might believe more than you expected when you overcame the odds and obstacles that Denmark grapples with. Getting stuck at the last hurdle always hurts more.
But in a broader context, falling after what they have achieved will, over time, reduce the blow.
"We have gone through a lot ... and I am grateful, really grateful to the whole country," Hujulmand said. "We needed that love, we needed that support, we needed that sympathy. Unfortunately, we didn't make it to the finals. But our future is full of hope and confidence."
Not just Denmark's future. Anyone who watched him battle through this tournament, fight his way through darkness into the light and stand still at Wembley until a decision fell through, some would even find that their future was hopeful and confident. A little richer.