Denmark leave it late
Saturday, October 18, 2003
Article summary
Denmark 3-0 Netherlands Three goals in the final 20 minutes sent the home side to the top of Group 2.
Article body
Denmark moved to the top of UEFA European Women's Championship Group 2 with a 3-0 win against the Netherlands, although it took the home side until the 70th minute to find a way past Dutch goalkeeper Marleen Wissink.
Narrow advantage
Denmark took over from Scandinavian neighbours Norway at the head of the standings, having drawn 1-1 with Norway in their opening game before brushing aside Belgium 6-1. Both sides have seven points, but Denmark are ahead thanks to the away goal Lene Jensen scored in Oslo.
Strike disallowed
The home side enjoyed the majority of the possession in Odense, but struggled to mount a serious threat on the visitors' goal, although midfield player Jannie Lund Johansen did have a sixth-minute effort from a corner ruled out for a foul.
First-rate saves
Cathrine Paaske and Anne Dot Eggers were both denied by top-class saves from Wissink, and it was the visitors who had the best chance of the opening period, with Paaske having to clear off the line after Sandra Muller had beaten Danish goalkeeper Tine Cederkvist.
Dutch denied again
The story was much the same at the start of the second half, with the Dutch holding firm in the face of the Danish attack and forcing the home side into a number of errors. Once again the visitors came closest to taking the lead, substitute Van Bergen having a dangerous shot saved by Cederkvist, before the home side finally made the breakthrough with 20 minutes to go.
Johansen strikes
Eggers's pass found Johansen with time and space to score, before the midfield player made the score 2-0 four minutes later, converting a corner from Julie Bukh Rydahl. Rydahl herself completed the scoring in the 82nd minute, finding the net from inside the penalty area after good work from Helle Jensen down the right.
'We loosened up'
"I am not happy about our first 60 minutes, when we made too many individual mistakes and too many wrong decisions," said Denmark coach Poul Højmose. "However, in the last half hour we did manage to loosen up, and that made our play flow much better."
