Røddik Hansen spurred by support
Saturday, August 29, 2009
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Line Røddik Hansen has praised the fans who have given Denmark such passionate support at the finals and has promised to reward them with the point needed against the Netherlands to qualify.
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Line Røddik Hansen has praised the fervent band of supporters who have followed Denmark so far at UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ and has vowed to repay their faith by getting the point needed against the Netherlands to reach the quarter-finals.
Presence felt
Despite being vastly outnumbered in their Group A opener against hosts Finland in Helsinki, the Danish supporters more than made themselves heard as their team slipped to a 1-0 defeat. Nevertheless, they were out in force again on Matchday 2 when Kenneth Heiner-Møller's charges kick-started their campaign with victory against Ukraine, and Røddik Hansen has been quick to highlight the impact they can have on the team's performance.
Fan 'boost'
"It's been great to have such big support from our fans," said the Brøndby IF defender. "There has been a lot of them here and it's great to hear them play the samba band − it gives us a boost when we're on the pitch."
Positive thoughts
Røddik Hansen and Co require a point in Lahti to guarantee their presence in the last eight as one of the best third-placed teams but the 21-year-old only has her sights on collecting all three points. "We don't think about that [only needing a draw] at all, we just want to go out and win the match not thinking too much about technicalities," she explained.
Not swayed
Denmark boast a formidable record against their opponents with just one defeat in 16 meetings, a 1-0 reverse all of 27 years ago, but that sequence does not cut any ice with the blonde-haired centre-back, who, at 19, was the youngest player in Denmark's 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup squad. "We are playing a different team and we don't think about statistics," she countered. "That has no bearing on this match."
'Good atmosphere'
Despite having never won a major tournament, Denmark are one of the fancied sides in Finland and, after reigniting their hopes of glory with a 2-1 defeat of Ukraine, Røddik Hansen cannot wait to get going against Vera Pauw's Dutch outfit. "The atmosphere is very good after the victory against Ukraine," she said. "It was a big lift for the team. We're very much looking forward to the Netherlands match: there's a lot of excitement about."