Søndergaard Pedersen rues Denmark profligacy
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
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"I am extremely disappointed, it wasn't good enough," said captain Katrine Søndergaard Pedersen after Denmark conceded a late equaliser in a costly 1-1 Group A draw with Finland.
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Denmark captain Katrine Søndergaard Pedersen pinpointed her side's failure to turn first-half dominance into more goals after Finland fought back to earn a 1-1 draw in Gothenburg.
Seemingly sauntering towards a maiden Group A success, Annica Sjölund popped up three minutes from time to wipe out Mia Brogaard's opener and leave Kenneth Heiner-Møller's third-placed team relying on other results to remain in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Finland goalkeeper Minna Meriluoto – exemplary throughout – attributed their UEFA Women's EURO 2013 fate to opening fixtures against Italy and Sweden, in which they did "not play well enough".
Katrine Søndergaard Pedersen, Denmark midfielder and player of the match
We played well in the first half but the second half cost us. We created lots of chances in the first half but scoring one goal meant they were always in the game. I am extremely disappointed, it wasn't good enough. Now we have to wait for the other games to finish.
All the third-placed teams could end up with two points so there is still hope. However, we should have got the job done tonight and collected three points. It was looking likely that we would win a game that we controlled throughout, but we did not put it to bed. That's football.
Pernille Harder, Denmark forward
We had the game in our hands but we let it slip at the end. We passed the ball around them and played well all night, so it was devastating to concede at the end. All I can hope for is that we finish as one of the best third-placed teams. We have to wait and see what happens in the other games. Everyone has their fingers crossed.
Minna Meriluoto, Finland goalkeeper
We had a very tough start. Denmark were playing really well and made their dominance count. We grew into the game as it evolved and by the second half, were playing some nice football ourselves. It was a difficult contest, both sides had their chances, but in the end it finished 1-1.
It feels strange to be out and we came close at the end to getting another, but that's football. We are disappointed that we did not play well enough in the opening two games. This performance was a lot better and it was satisfying for everyone.
