Denmark Becomes Great Surprise by Eliminating Nigeria

Perhaps Michael Laudrup has got it all wrong. Perhaps he doesn’t want to retire after all.

Or maybe it’s his brother, Brian, who is at fault. Maybe he does not want to break up Denmark’s most lethal partnership of the past dozen years.

Whoever is to blame, neither was complaining Sunday after the two had combined to lead the Danes to a convincing 4-1 victory over Nigeria on a cool but dry night at the Stade de France.

The victory sets up an intriguing clash between world champion Brazil and 1992 European champion Denmark in the quarterfinals at Nantes on Friday night.

And it means that Michael Laudrup, who will retire after the World Cup, has at least one more game alongside his younger brother. The two players have been in the headlines for club and country since the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

And on Sunday, somewhat against expectations, they helped oust 1996 Olympic gold medalist Nigeria from the tournament, ending Africa’s competitive interest in France 98.

The feat took barely a dozen minutes to achieve. After Peter Moller, making his World Cup debut, had given the Danes the lead less than three minutes into the game off a pass from Michael Laudrup, there was little doubt about the outcome. Especially after Brian Laudrup made it 2-0 nine minutes later.

Coach Bora Milutinovic’s Nigerian team did not look remotely as confident or as together as it had in earlier victories over Spain and Bulgaria. Up in the stands, its green-clad fans were shocked into silence, their dancing forgotten.

“I think they went into the game thinking they were favorites and listening to the world’s media saying they could be the first African side to win the Cup,” said Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, who was seldom troubled because Nigeria’s offense was off-target most of the night, especially forward Jay-Jay Okocha.

“I think they were thinking about the Brazil game, and it’s very difficult to come back against 2-0.”

And even more difficult to come back from 4-0 down, which is where the Nigerians found themselves in the second half after goals by Ebbe Sand and Thomas Helveg.

But it was the two early goals that took the heart out of the African team.

The first came in the third minute when Martin Jorgensen lofted the ball down the middle of the field to Michael Laudrup, who turned 34 last week and who was playing in what many thought might be his last game.

With the Nigerian defense too spread out, Laudrup passed the ball inside to Moller on his left and the 26-year-old, twice the top scorer in the Danish League but now playing in the Netherlands, rocketed a shot just inside the right post.

There was worse to come for Nigeria.

Nine minutes later, a foul just outside the penalty area gave the Danes a free kick.

Michael Laudrup tapped the ball to Moller, whose powerful shot could only be parried by Peter Rufai, the Nigerian goalkeeper. The ball rolled free and Brian Laudrup, following up the shot, tucked it into the net.

“They played better than our team,” he said afterward. “We lose concentration after 2-0. Normally, I am not happy to finish the World Cup this way, but we win our [first-round] group. We have good players, a good future.”

The immediate future, however, was bleak. Trailing, 2-0 at the half, Nigeria fell further behind in the 60th minute, five minutes after Brian Laudrup had hit the crossbar with a long-range effort.

Sand, who had just come on as a substitute, was the scorer, with Michael Laudrup getting his second assist. Laudrup lifted the ball over four Nigerian defenders with a flick of his right foot and Sand did the rest.

The Nigerian keeper was at fault for Denmark’s fourth goal. He fumbled a shot by Jorgensen at the right post, Sand pounced on the ball and passed it back to Jorgensen, who crossed it into the goal area for Helveg to fire into the unguarded net.

How impressive was the result? So impressive that in London worried bookmakers immediately cut Denmark’s odds on winning the World Cup from 150-1 to 33-1.