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Euro 2012: Netherlands vs Denmark - As it happened |
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 Zeenews Sports Bureau
FULL TIME: DENMARK 1 HOLLAND 0
Kharkiv: A shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of Denmark in the Group B opener at Metalist Stadium on Saturday put Holland in a spot of bother in their Euro 2012 campaign.
Netherlands will be under pressure when they face heavyweights Germany in their next encounter as a defeat would lead to their ouster from the tournament. They didn’t show the same ruthlessness in converting the opportunities into goals as they did to create them. The Dutch were shell-shocked after 24 minutes when little known Michael Krohn Dehli scored an unlikely lead.
After all the possession from the Dutch, Denmark took lead via Dehli. Simon Poulsen raced down the left; his cross was deflected to the edge of the area to Krohn-Deli. He rushed past Dutch defenders, hit low and got past Stekelenburg between the legs.
The Dutch were similarly wasteful during the second-half, their performance epitomized by the labouring Robin van Persie, who showed none of the killer instinct from his stellar 37-goal season with Arsenal.
The race for qualification from Group B is now wide open, after a stunning smash and grab result from Denmark, who defied their long-shot odds and now have a priceless three points to give their hopes of making the Round of 16 an undeniable boost.
As it happened: 90 min 3 minutes of added time. Dutch on brink of a disappointing start to their campaign.
88 min Dutch protested for handball inside circle. Referee didn't budge. It looked like a handball from Jacobsen.
83 min Mikkelsen came in off Rommedahl for Danes. Dirk Kuyt replaced Van Der Wiel.
74 min Huntelaar close to scoring. Taken cleanly a cross from Sneijder, one touch, Andersen held on to it.
70 min Dutch Substitution: Van Der Vaart replaced De Jong. Huntelaar came off Afellay.
66 min Growing frustration showing on the field for Dutch. Van Bommel booked for a leg challenge on Kvist.
63 min Robben nearly got a breakthrough. Got a cross from the left but shot wide.
58 min Holland free kick from the left. No goal. Frustration grew amongst the Dutch.
54 min Dutch pouring forward searching for an equaliser.
Points tally »
Halftime: Denmark went into the halftime with a goal advantage over Netherlands, who enjoyed possession for the major part of the first session. Dutch would regret for their wastefulness upfront should they succumb to another famous upset.
36 min Robben nearly made the Danes pay for an Andersen blunder. Goalie tried to clear a ball, but cleared it towards Robben 25 yards out. But Robben hit the post.
24 min GOAL!! Michael Krohn-Dehli gave Danes the lead. After all the possession from the Dutch, Denmark took lead via Dehli. He rushed through the left past Dutch defenders after collecting a throw-in. Hit low and got past Stekelenburg between the legs.
22 min Good play from Robben, RVP. RVP failed to find the target as he found none on the right flank to collect his cross.
17 min Brilliant stuff from RVP, Robben. Robben, with some interchange of passes from RVP, came close to the target. But the fizzled out in the front as Jacobsen comes to Dane's rescue.
16 min Van Persie tested Danish goalie by shooting from long-range but Andersen collected without difficulty in the end. Denmark doing nothing to force Dutch out of possession.
12 min Dutch failed to take advantage of a free-kick. Sneijder advanced with the ball towards Danish area from the rebound.
7 min Van Persie misses the target.Robben, from the left, crossed one into the area towards Persie, who shot wide.
3 minCautious carefull start by the Dutch. Danes got an early free-kick to test Dutch defence but wasn't fruitful.
Netherlands players are dressed in Orange while Denmark sported their white away jersey. Dutchman Jetro Willems (18 years and 71 days old) became the youngest ever player to appear at a European Championships.
Teams: Holland: Stekelenburg; Van der Wiel, Heitinga, Vlaar, Willems; Van Bommel, N De Jong; Robben, Sneijder, Afellay; Van Persie. Subs: Vorm, Mathijsen, Bouma, Kuyt, Huntelaar, Schaars, Strootman, Luuk De Jong, Narsingh, Boulahrouz, Van der Vaart, Krul.
Denmark: Andersen, Jacobsen, Kjaer, Agger, Simon Poulsen; Kvist, Zimling; Rommedahl, Eriksen, Krohn-Delhi; Bendtner. Subs: Lindegaard, Christian Poulsen, Bjelland, Okore, Schone, Silberbauer, Pedersen, Wass, Jakob Poulsen, Kahlenberg, Mikkelsen, Schmeichel.
First Published: Saturday, June 9, 2012, 19:49
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