|
Danish delight!
Denmark routs Nigeria 4-1; defending champs Brazil next
Posted: Wednesday September 23, 1998 04:56 PM
| |
The win sent the Danes into delirium Clive Brunskill/Allsport |
ST. DENIS, France (CNN/SI)
-- Kiss Nigeria
goodbye, and while you're at it hold the door open for any stray African
nations still trying to get out of France.
Olympic champion Nigeria became the last of five African nations to be
eliminated from the World Cup when it was routed by Denmark 4-1
Sunday, sending the Danes into the quarterfinals at the World Cup.
This one was over early and got ugly late.
Peter Moller scored on nearly his first touch of the tournament and
Denmark had a pair of goals in the first 12 minutes.
"It is not about preparation and tactics," Denmark coach Bo Johansson
said when asked about inserting Moller in the lineup. "It is about players
who suddenly find their way of playing."
The Danes found it after a mediocre opening-round performance that saw
them advance mainly because they were in a group with weaklings South
Africa and Saudi
Arabia.
"We're on a high, definitely a high," said goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel,
who kept Nigeria's ballyhooed attack at bay.
The victory over the Africans put the 1992 European champions into the
round of eight for the first time -- in only their second appearance at a
World Cup. The only other time Denmark reached the tournament, it advanced
to the second round in 1986.
It now must face defending champion Brazil on Friday
at Nantes.
"We have to try," Johansson said. "Nigeria cannot try any longer. We will
play against the best team in the world. We know we're not the best team in
the world."
The early goals continued a pattern of first-half woes for Nigeria. The
Africans trailed Spain before
rallying twice and allowed the fastest goal of the tournament, 51 seconds,
in a 3-1 loss to Paraguay.
After a second-round appearance in its debut in 1994 and arriving in
France with several highly touted European-based players, Nigeria was
picked as an outsider that could possibly break through Europe and South
America's stranglehold on the tournament.
But defensive mistakes squashed its chances early.
Moller, making his first appearance in France '98, buried his opportunity
from the top of the penalty area in the third minute.
Moller had a hand in Denmark's second goal, blasting a free kick from 25
yards that forced goalie Peter Rufai into a two-handed block. But the
Nigerians didn't react fast enough to clear the rebound and Brian Laudrup
put it away.
"Obviously we needed to concentrate more at the beginning," Rufai said.
"We lot it all in the first 15 minutes."
The Nigerians took nearly 30 minutes to recover from the pair of goals,
finally getting some sustained possession and pressure on Danish keeper
Peter Schmeichel, but creating nothing dangerous.
The second half was more of the same, with substitute Ebbe Sand scoring
on his second touch of the ball in the 60th minute -- just 30 seconds after
he replaced Moller.
Rufai's inability to hold another shot cost Nigeria a fourth goal in the
76th minute. Martin Jorgensen sent a low shot in from the right that Rufai
bobbled. Sand chased it down and with Rufai chasing him, sent it back to
Jorgensen, who crossed to Thomas Helveg for an easy goal.
Nigeria finally saved some pride in the 77th when second-half substitute
Tijani Babangida volleyed in a cross from Mutiu Adepoju.
"That's soccer, isn't it?" Nigeria winger Finidi George said. "Denmark
has a very good attack. It created several chances and converted. We only
had a few chances."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
| 
