Sand soars for Danish victory

Denmark 1-0 Scotland
Denmark got back to winning ways at the Parken stadium, Ebbe Sand's header giving the home side a 1-0 victory against Scotland which will help them look forward to UEFA EURO 2004™ with growing confidence.

Missed chances
If there was disappointment for the home team and their coach Morten Olsen it lay in the number of opportunities they carved out only to then fail to hit the target. Jesper Grønkjær found himself in a wonderful position a minute after the goal and was unlucky to be foiled by Paul Gallacher, who managed to tip the rising drive on to the crossbar.

Good approach play
Victory by a single goal will not rank as one of Denmark's better performances in recent times – Scotland had, after all, conceded 12 goals in their last three outings – but any win is good for self-belief and there was plenty in the Danes' build-up play to encourage the coach as they put last month's defeat by Spain behind them.

Early chance
Scoring opportunities began early. Jon Dahl Tomasson was allowed a free run in the ninth minute as the Scotland rearguard waited for the offside flag but the AC Milan forward finished disappointingly, his shot scraping the outside of the upright.

Stout defending
The game followed a pattern of Danish pressure, stout Scotland defending and the occasional breakaway from the visitors to encourage hope that they could avert an eleventh defeat in 15 friendly internationals under Berti Vogts.

Working hard
At least there was no repeat of the four-goal hammering handed out by Wales in February as Scotland fought hard to close down the spaces around goal. Nevertheless, there were opportunities before half-time for both Grønkjær and Thomas Helveg; both lacked composure at the crucial moment.

Vital role
Grønkjær was a lively presence all night long and there was something inevitable about his part in the game's only goal. Stephen Crainey could feel pleased with the way he coped with the Chelsea FC winger but in the 61st minute he could not prevent the ball coming across and there was Sand, emerging between Malky Mackay and Steven Pressley, to score his first goal in ten internationals.

Holt disappointment
Mackay was solid on his debut appearance but there was disappointment for his Norwich City FC team-mate Gary Holt, whose return to the lineup for the first time since Vogts' opening game in charge ended after just 12 minutes when he was carried off with a knee injury.

Young hopefuls
Scotland's youngsters Darren Fletcher and James McFadden offered hope that their country can improve on their disappointing run. Fletcher saw a shot just skid the wrong side of the post, while McFadden unleashed a shot that Thomas Sørensen was grateful to push to safety.