Denmark 1-3 Brasil
A young Brasil team
pulled a 3-1 victory over Denmark, putting a damper on Olsen's Euro 2012
plans. Hulk – yes, you read that
correctly – led his team to victory, in spite of the frazzled start of the
match. The striker attacked twice in the
first half and Denmark's Niki Zimling's own goal put the Seleção up 3-0.
In all fairness, the
Danes were lackluster at the start, punished after just eight minutes thanks to
the Brasilian Hulk. Slick play from the
São Paulo and Internacional opened up the game for the striker as he released a
wicked dipping effort that caught Denmark's Sorensen off-guard. Oscar looked for Hulk in the middle minutes
later but his cross instead found Niki Zimling, who put it past his own keeper.
Brasil's rhythm dropped after the frenzied opening, but the team showcased in the final minutes of the half that it would not forgive any negligence from the Danes. Denmark should have closed the gap in the opening seconds after halftime with brilliant play around the box. The Seleção too looked dangerous, but Damião wasted – wasted – a golden opportunity when he failed to control Marcelo's cross.
Olsen's men looked better in the second half, focusing on attacking down the right and exploiting the gaps in Brasil's defense. Pressure kept building and after 20 minutes, the Danes finally managed to find the back of net thanks to Nicklas Bendtner.
Denmark will play next Saturday
against Australia, while Brasil goes stateside to face United States May 30th
at FedEx Field.
written by Gail Hidalgo
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