Close shave for Korch and Denmark
Friday, May 13, 2011
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Having undergone his own very personal transformation during the tournament, Denmark keeper Oliver Korch talked to UEFA.com about his team's development during the finals.
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Topped by a bed of blonde hair in the pre-tournament photographs, Denmark keeper Oliver Korch appeared midway through the group stage having undergone a very dramatic transformation to his appearance.
Having helped Denmark to a 3-2 win against Serbia in their opening Group A fixture, Korch was shed of his thatch for the 2-0 victory against England which secured Thomas Frank's team's place in the semi-finals. A slip of the razor cost the FC Midtjylland keeper his crown and he was equally helpless to prevent the two goals which secured Germany a 2-0 semi-final triumph at Denmark's expense.
Korch, though saddened by his side's premature return home, showed little sign of his or his team-mate's self-assurance having been dented, especially with a trip to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico on the agenda next month. "We are deeply disappointed with the result but at the same time we are very proud at what we've achieved at this tournament," he told UEFA.com.
"It's been a great experience for us – we've been playing against the best players in Europe. First and foremost, though, we are very disappointed. Before this match we thought that we could win it all here in the European Championship but now we're going to see if we can achieve that in Mexico."
Upbeat throughout the competition, Frank's faith in his players never waivered even after their elimination, a quality not lost on Korch. "It means a lot to us," Korch added. "Thomas has a great deal of belief in us as we do in ourselves as players. We know we can beat every team but we also know we can lose if we don't play at the highest level we can."
As for the haircut, can we still expect to see it when Denmark begin their World Cup campaign next month? "Yes! Lucas Andersen, the No18, was supposed to cut it but made a mistake. Instead of putting it to 21mm he put it to 1mm so there you go!"