Confederation: UEFA
FIFA Ranking (Nov 09): 27
Previous Appearances: 3 (1986, 1998, 2002)
Surrounded almost entirely by water, Denmark is made of many other tiny islands and politically, the Faroe Islands and Greenland are part of the country. However, in football, Denmark is a separate entity. Denmark has had a glorious history in international football.
They were crowned European champions in 1992 and also won the 1995 FIFA Confederations Cup tournament representing Europe. They are having a remarkable run now, qualifying for South Africa 2010 in October 2009 itself, despite being in a tough group with 2006 World Cup semi-finalists Portugal and 2008 European Championship participants Sweden and the giant of yesteryears, Hungary. 2010 will be their third World Cup and Denmark will aim to better their 1998 performance of last eight finish.
Denmark – the road to the 2010 FIFA World Cup
Denmark were drawn in Group A for the qualifiers along with Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Albania, and Malta.
The campaign for Denmark started with a not so inspiring goal less away draw with Hungary in September 2008 at the Stadium Puskas Ferenc. The next too was an away match at Lisbon against the formidable Portugal. It was a thriller that went to the wires. Portugal led by a first half goal by Nani till the 84th minute, when Bendtner found the equalizer for Denmark. But Deco scored off a penalty on 86 and all seemed to be over for Denmark. But the determined Denmark did not surrender as Poulsen and Jensen both scored in injury time to steal the game from Portugal 3-2.
In their first home match, the Danish Dynamite defeated the light weight Malta 3-0 at the Parken Stadium, a month later. The Danes then walked all over Malta once again, with the same margin but this time away from home. Albania too could not put up a fight and went down 0-3. The next was a crucial away match against Sweden at Solna, where the Danes managed to cling on to the lead provided by Kahlenberg’s 22nd minute goal.
The five wins on trot could not be carried on and Portugal held them to a 1-1 draw, followed by another draw with Albania. These draws delayed the inevitable qualifications to the finals and this was confirmed in October 2009, beating Sweden 1-0 thanks to Poulsen’s strike late in the second half.
The subsequent loss to Hungary by a solitary goal virtually went unnoticed in the context of qualification.
Denmark – 2010 FIFA World Cup group stages
Denmark will play against the Netherlands, Cameroon, and Japan respectively in Group E.
Match-day One: Netherlands vs Denmark
Denmark’s first 2010 World Cup encounter will be the tournament’s ninth game. They are pitted against the Netherlands in a fascinating clash that would showcase a lot of talent. The Netherlands is most likely to be the favorites to win this match but the Danes cannot be seen as the underdogs.
For Denmark, this match will be their first World Cup game in eight years, but they will still be seen as potential threats. They stunned Portugal in Lisbon during the World Cup qualifiers, and there is no reason why a similar performance should not be dished out in this encounter.
Though the Netherlands are better placed than the Danes on paper, the latter has the fire power and the skill to unsettle almost any team. Playmakers, Poulsen, Bendtner and the Danish strikers have proved their worth time and again against leading teams in the qualifiers.
This match is scheduled to start at 13:30 South African local time in Johannesburg.
Match-day Two: Cameroon vs Denmark
Denmark plays Cameroon at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria at 20:30 local time on June 19th as Group E enters match-day two of the tournament.
The two teams play in two different styles and so it would not be easy to separate the two.
The team which manages to dominate first is likely to come up with the best result.
One thing though is certain: there will be fireworks and an interesting duel between Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o and Denmark’s Nicklas Bendtner is on the cards.
Match-day Three: Denmark vs Japan
Denmark will be playing this match as the home side in Rustenburg, at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium. The Japanese have set their eyes on the semifinal spot and will certainly pose a great challenge to the Danes. But another scenario is that by the time the match take place, it may not of such vital importance to Japan as they may have already qualified for the next stage. Denmark has every chance to topple Japan when the overall qualities of both teams are taken into consideration..
The match starts at 20:30 South Africa local time on June 24th.
Star Men
Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal, England);
At 22, Bendtner is very young, but on the field he is very experienced with more than 30 internationals under his belt. He's netted goals in a third of these, an excellent performance by any standards. After a difficult start he's now getting into form for Arsenal and is likely to peek by the time the ball roles in South Africa.
Thomas Sorensen (Stoke City, England);
Making his debut for the national team in 1999, Sorensen is experienced under the bar and is the first choice goalkeeper. He has played in the 2002 World Cup finals so this will be his second World Cup. He has been playing in the English Premier Leaguie for the last 10 years for various teams like Sunderland, Aston Villa and currently Stoke. Playing in EPL is one of the most challenging task for any footballer and to excel there requires skills of the premium quality.
Jakob Poulsen (AGF Aarhus, Denmark);
Poulsen having started in the last five World Cup qualifiers has established himself as a regular in the national team. He plays as a holding midfielder at the left flank. Technically astute, he has good passing abilities and also long rangers with which he has scored more than one goal for the team at crucial junctures like the one against Sweden which sealed Denmark’s entry into the World Cup finals.
COACH: MORTEN OLSEN
Best Footballing Moment
Winning the European Championship in 1992 is undoubtedly the best moment in the history of Danish football. They had not qualified for the tournament and got a chance to play only as a replacement for the war torn Yugoslavia. In the final, Denmark defeated Germany in a memorable game and every player excelled and the team claimed the coveted trophy.
World Cup Objective
To reach the quarter finals, as they did in 1998. Anything beyond that will be a huge bonus.
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