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Dazzling Danes do Hans Christian Andersen proud
GOTHENBURG.
Sweden. June 27: If anyone had suggested even a week ago that Denmark would
be the next European champions, he would have been laughed out of sight, reports AFP.
The Danes had only eight days to prepare for the tournament after being called tn to replace Yugoslavia.
But they went all the way. beating World Cup holders Germany 2-0 tn Friday's final, and as Brian Laudrup said: "1 think you can say you've got the right European champions.”
Right because they left the tournament with a legacy of football played for fun, with none of the cynicism and bad manners which have crept into the modern game and for that alone they have done European lootball proud.
In the end it came down to "A real Hans Christian Andersen Journey” as Den-marks Henrick Larsen commented before the final.
And he should know because no-one had more of a fairy-tale fortnight than he did as Denmark confounded the critics who had written them off and belied coach Richard Moller Nielsen's repeated assurances that they Just weren't well enough prepared.
On the face of It that was true, for they had only been drafted In to replace Yugoslavia a matter of days before the finals and all their home based players had league fixtures to fulfil the day before they fiew into Sweden.
Under the circumstances, It says a lot for their character that they were able even to pass the first round.
And European football owes them a great debt of gratitude — for It meant that the championships were saved from mediocrity by a team who should never have been there In the first place.
The astonishing story of how In Group 1. the Danes and hosts Sweden snatched the semi-final places which England and France believed had been reserved for them by right, is already history.
The championships got olT to the best possible start with Sweden taking the lead against
France on a balmy evening tn Stockholm when Jan Erikssop arrived to head the ball home from a corner with the French defence standing and watching.
Jean-Pierre Papin showed for the one and only time tn Sweden why he is European footballer-of-the-year with a glorious equaliser.
And when the following night, an impoverished looking England side were lucky to hold on to a goalless draw against the Danes, the group was wide open.
ANGLO-FRENCH MEDI-
OCRITY
France's ambitions against England were certainly modest. epitomised by the sight of Papin raising his arms aloft In a sort of triumph after a truly appalling match had ended goalless.
French manager Michel Platini had the good grace and honesty to apologise for the match, while England's Graham Taylor went on about how proud he was of his lads.
With Sweden beating the Danes 1 -O thanks to a Tomas Brolin goal later that night, it was looking odds-on that the French would grab the second qualifying spot and send England packing — which after Taylor's crass reaction to the French debacle, seemed to most of those present only right and proper.
But Denmark had other Ideas.
The remarkable Larsen came Into the side and opened the scoring. Papin levelled and Lars Elstrup continued his remarkable run of scoring with his 12th goal In 25 internationals. most as substitute, to knock out France.
Meanwhile, in Stockholm, England were given breathing space with their first goal of tne tournament from David Platt Inside five minutes, and they were cruising to victory.
However, defender Eriksson had another headed goal in him and Brolin a further touch of magic, playing one-twos with Kias Ingesson and Martin Dahllng before finishing off the best goal of championships.
That left France and England ready to pack their bags, while the two non-quall-fiers. hosts Sweden and last-minute arrivals Denmark, pre-
pared for the semi-finals.
In Group 2. despite a hiccup or two along the way, there was never any real doubt that the Dutch and Germans would fulfil their roles as joint favourites and make the last four a truly northern European extravaganza.
However, one should spare a thought and maybe even shed a tear or two for Scotland, who with a touch more luck would have kept one of the heavyweights out of the semis.
END OF AN ERA
The CIS played their last matches before they are reduced to individual republics and to that extent European football will probably never be quite the same again.
They did not quite go out fighting, for having held both Germany and Holland to draws, they crumbled under the spirited onslaught of Scotland in their final match, going into extinction more with a whimper than a bang — and a 3-0 defeat.
SUCKER PUNCHED
SCOTS
Scotland can feel particularly aggrieved, though, even if their philosophical band of fans was more than grateful for
what they did get — and could hardly have celebrated more "had they been going home with the trophy.
The Scots did enough -Jo take a point from Holland but were beaten by what their\ evcr-quotable manager Andy ' Roxburgh called Dennis Berg kanip's smash-and-grab” goal In Gothenburg.
And then they should have beaten Germany, who were on the rack as several chances went begging in the early stages before the Scots fell to two "sucker punch” goals.
The Dutch, nervous against the Scots and frustrated by the CIS despite Marco van Bastcn's perfectly good winner being ruled offside, showed their true class.
Needing to beat Germany to qualify in their final group match, they stormed Into an early 2-0 lead and never looked back, winning 3-1 to prove that once they leave their tendency for over-cohfi-dence behind them, they really arc world-beaters.
LUCKY GERMANS
Which brings us to the case of Germany.
The World Cup holders, often criticised for the gamesmanship of their players, have
shown once again that they have that essential ingredient which often distinguishes winners from losers — luck.
Even when the breaks have gone against them, they have never given up — someone once said it Is Inbred, that they just don't know how to — and almost always retrieve their own good fortune.
They lost captain and prolific striker Rudi Voller for the tournament when he broke hfs arm in the opening game with the CIS and then went a goal behind to Igor Doborovolskl's penalty.
But persistence paid off and as so often in the past, they were in a position where virtually the last kick was to decide It.
Thomas Hassler showed enormous composure under pressure as he stepped up to strike the perfect free-kick around the CIS wall and into the net with the clock already registering Injury time.
The luck held good again against Scotland, who should have been 3-0 ahead before Germany scored.
Their second goal, which made things safe, was a nightmare for any goalkeeper as Stefan Effcnberg's speculative, looping lob from the right
caught Maurice Malpas' shoulder and slipped past the excellent Andy Goram.
Even into the semi-finals their luck held good, with Sweden handicapped by the loss of key defender Patrik Andersson and midfield director Stefan Schwarz both booked for the second time against England.
Not only did that unbalance the Swedes, but the Germans welcomed back Reuter and Buchwald, sorely missed against the Dutch, and they held on to win 3-2, with Hassler stamping his mark on the game yet again, but Bodo Illgner's ill-timed late gift goal to the Swedes left hearts fluttering in the German camp.
The tension was even greater the following night in Gothenburg as Denmark saw off Holland in a script which Rlnus Michels said was pure Hitchcock, but which was truly just another chapter from Hans Christian Andersen.
They had to win it not once but three times, after Henrik Larsen put them ahead twice, the first time as early as the fifth minute. But Berkamp and Rijkaard cancelled the goals out. Rijkaard s coming four minutes from the end. to drag the tiring Danes Into extra time — and then penalties where Van Basten. who was a major reason why the Dutch won four years ago, miscued his kick to left Denmark through 5-4.