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Denmark finding their sea legs
Posted Monday, June 04, 2012 by UEFA.com

There were mixed feelings in the Danish camp after their 2-0 victory against Australia in Copenhagen on Saturday, with Nicklas Bendtner convinced "the sharpness will return".

Denmark finding their sea legs
Daniel Agger was felled for Denmark's penalty against Australia which he converted

Nicklas Bendtner agrees that there is room for improvement in Denmark's play, but if the nature of Saturday's 2-0 friendly victory against Australia in Copenhagen was prosaic, the striker insisted that only a lack of sharpness was to blame.

"We're playing a bit too slowly and too horizontally," said Bendtner, who was unable to add to his strike in last week's 3-1 defeat by Brazil against the Socceroos. "We've trained extremely hard in our preparations and I'm certain the sharpness will return."

Captain Daniel Agger, who scored the opening goal penalty after being brought down in Denmark's best move of the match, echoed his team-mate's sentiments but was was unperturbed by his side's shortcomings. "Even though we did well to keep possession for spells, we looked tired and our play was a little heavy," said the Liverpool FC defender, whose spot-kick preceded Andreas Bjelland's second-half goal. "We left too many gaps and weren't as compact as we would have liked, but we're only a week away from getting there."

At the other end of the pitch, Denmark's chances of success in Poland and Ukraine will rely heavily on the form of AFC Ajax playmaker Christian Eriksen, one of the most exciting young prospects in European football.

"Personally, I felt better than a week ago," said Eriksen. "Things are progressing in the right direction and I'm getting closer to top form. I've got a good feeling." Asked about the moment of magic when he played in Agger with a delightful back-heel prior that led to the penalty, the midfielder said: "I saw it as my only option."

Given the improvement in their fitness levels, Olsen's charges can be optimistic about rediscovering to the kind of form that saw them pip UEFA EURO 2012 Group A opponents Portugal to top spot in qualifying. Whether that will be enough to progress from a section also including the Netherlands and Germany, however, remains to be seen. Their tricky assignment begins against the Oranje on 9 June.

Standings
    Rank Team W/D/L Pts

    Cities & Stadiums

    The Top 3 Teams of Previous Tournaments

    Year Winners Runner-up Third place
    2008SpainGermanyRussia / Turkey
    2004GreecePortugalNetherlands / Czech Republic
    2000FranceItalyNetherlands / Portugal
    1996GermanyCzech RepublicFrance / England
    1992DenmarkGermanyNetherlands / Sweden
    1988NetherlandsSoviet UnionItaly / West Germany
    1984FranceSpainDenmark / Portugal
    1980West GermanyBelgiumCzechoslovakia
    1976CzechoslovakiaWest GermanyNetherlands
    1972West GermanySoviet UnionBelgium
    1968ItalyYugoslaviaEngland
    1964SpainSoviet UnionHungary
    1960Soviet UnionYugoslaviaCzechoslovakia