Danes send Cameroon packing

Comeback ends African team's bid

By: Samm Audu and David Hein Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Sunday, Jun. 20, 2010

PRETORIA, South Africa -- Denmark came from behind to beat Cameroon, 2-1, on Saturday, helping the Netherlands become the first team to reach the round of 16 in the World Cup and eliminating the Africans.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/06/2010 (5950 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PRETORIA, South Africa — Denmark came from behind to beat Cameroon, 2-1, on Saturday, helping the Netherlands become the first team to reach the round of 16 in the World Cup and eliminating the Africans.

Inter Milan superstar Samuel Eto’o give Cameroon the lead after just 10 minutes at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, but Nicklas Bendtner equalized in the 33rd minute and Dennis Rommedahl scored the winner in the 61st.

“It was nice having scored my first goal and winning our first game. But we didn’t play our best. They played better than us at times. But we got the job done,” said Bendtner.

Cameroon was left only with disappointment.

“It started really well and then we had the mistake, and things kind of got out of control,” said Cameroon defender Stephane Mbia. “But I can’t understand how this could happen. We had a lot of chances. But we paid for what we didn’t do.”

The result left the Netherlands, who beat Japan, 1-0, earlier in the day, atop Group E with six points, enough for them to qualify for the knockout stage. Denmark moved to three points, the same number as Japan, whom they meet on Thursday.

“Our chances (of advancing) are good. We have played well against them in the past,” said Bendtner of the Japanese.

Cameroon has zero points after two matches and will head home after its final game against the Dutch, becoming the first team to be eliminated from South Africa 2010.

Cameroon grabbed the lead in the 10th minute after a mistake by Christian Poulsen, who wanted to pass to the left wing only to see the ball intercepted by Pierre Webo. The Mallorca forward then found Eto’o in the middle, who gave Danish keeper Thomas Sorensen no chance.

Neither side challenged the opposing goal until Denmark equalized in the 33rd minute through Bendtner. A long diagonal pass by Simon Kjaer in the back landed at the feet of Rommedahl on the right side and the Ajax Amsterdam star crossed to the centre where Arsenal’s Bendtner poked the ball past a helpless Cameroon keeper Hamidou Souleymanou.

It was the Danes who went ahead 2-1 in the 61st minute in a fine solo action by Rommedahl, sending his left foot shot past Souleymanou.

–Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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