Yes, Moldova are ranked 177th in the world but that only told part of the story of the 8-0 mauling Denmark handed out to them in Herning yesterday evening.

Indeed, it would be an injustice to decry the Danes' performance because of the paucity of opponent.

Moldova arrived in Jutland off the back of a 1-1 draw with the Faroe Islands and have generally made a decent fist of recent campaigns. But they were simply swatted aside by an energetic display of pace, trickery and ruthless finishing.

Scotland are not due to face the Danes in World Cup qualifying until September 1 and perhaps that is just as well. Those hoping to catch a glimpse of what Steve Clarke's side might be up against will have been left with a feeling of unease. Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand opted for 10 changes to his side that beat Israel 2-0 in Tel Aviv last week with one eye on Wednesday's trip to Austria but his stand-ins were no less formidable as Denmark racked up their biggest victory since cuffing Sweden 6-0 in June 1989.

Captain Simon Kjaer sat out the win, as did his central defensive partner Andreas Christiansen of Chelsea but ominously for Moldova's lone striker Ion Nicolaescu – and for the rest of the strikers in Group F – Hjulmand was able to field the Premier League partnership of Jannik Vestergaard and Joachim Andersen.

It was to be a quiet afternoon for the pair but Andersen still found himself involved in the thick of the action for the first goal in the 19th minute.

Andreas Skov Olsen's free-kick was floated to the back post only for Nice striker Kasper Dolberg to mis-hit his shot. But it appeared something fishy had gone on in the build-up with Andersen spreadeagled inside the Moldova area.

Referee Aliyar Aghayev awarded a penalty and showed a yellow card as replays revealed the culprit to be Catalin Carp who, in the manner of a nightclub bouncer, had a ball-full of Andersen's shirt when Skov Olsen's cross was delivered.

Dolberg dispatched Denmark's fifth penalty in their last eight international matches with the same kind of aplomb that regular taker Christian Eriksen, who made a late appearance as a substitute, had done with the Danes' previous four.

Dolberg was once the pin-up boy of Danish football but he never really quite made the impact he should have done having lost his way after three years at Ajax. Two new young talents with plenty of expectation riding on their shoulders are sylph-like Serie A starlets Skov Olsen (Bologna) and Mikkel Damsgaard (Sampdoria). They started brightly and illuminated the first half, exploding into life specifically during a 10-minute spell after the first goal.

Twice Skov Olsen caused panic in the visiting team's rearguard with quick feet and a drop of the shoulder before teeing up Damsgaard to produce clinical finishes to double, then triple, their side's lead.

If this was supposed to be Denmark down to the bare bones, it did not show. Moldova are no European heavyweights but this was a team that had drawn 0-0 with Russia last November and had only conceded four times in four internationals. That record was turned on its head when Denmark added the fourth through Udinese right-back Jens Stryger Larsen, who curled the ball left-footed past Stanislav Namasco.

Dolberg was running Skov Olsen and Damsgaard close for man of the match and he turned provider for the fifth – having also had a hand in the second – crossing for Brentford midfielder Mathias Jensen, who swivelled before turning the ball into Namasco's bottom left corner.

The tempo dropped after the break but Denmark still added another three goals: Damsgaard crossed for Dolberg to score his second before substitutes Robert Skov and Marcus Ingvartsen added the Danes' seventh and eighth of a portentous evening.

In between the narrow defeats and draws, Moldova have taken skelpings at the hands of Greece and Italy in recent times but this was their worst ever defeat in international football.

This might just have been another one of their days off but it was also a ruthless showing from Hjulmand's hungry young side and only served to reinforce the belief that for Scotland – and everyone else in Group F – the qualification spots will go to the Danes plus one other.