PRETORIA – Dennis Rommedahl scored one goal and set up another to lead Denmark to a 2-1 comeback win over Cameroon yesterday, eliminating the African team from the World Cup and sending group leaders the Netherlandsto the round of 16.
Cameroon went ahead in the tenth minute at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium when Samuel Eto’o took advantage of a mix-up in the Danish defence, but Denmark equalised in the 33rd when Rommedahl crossed from the right for Nicklas Bendtner to tap in.
Rommedahl scored the winner in the 61st. Picking up a pass from Jesper Gronkjaer, he spun around substitute Jean Makoun before hooking a well-aimed left-foot shot past Hamidou Souleymanou.
“It was a tough game until the last minute,” Rommedahl said. “We had a terrible start. But we created a lot of chances in the second half when it became a more open game.”The result meant the Netherlands became the first team through to the second round. The Dutch have six points after beating Japan 1-0 earlier in the day.
Denmark and Japan have three points each, and will clash on Thursday to decide who joins the Netherlands into the knockout stage. Denmark will need a win, as a draw would send Japan through with a better goal difference.
Cameroon became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament after their second loss in the group stage left a second-round berth out of reach.
“It is doubtless a serious disappointment for us and the Cameroonian nation as a whole,” Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen said, but added that he won’t be resigning.
Denmark, who scored an own-goal in their 2-0 loss to the Netherlands, got off to a disastrous start. Christian Poulsen rolled a pass toward fullback Simon Kjaer but it was way too soft and intercepted by Achille Webo, who found Eto’o unmarked in front of goal. Cameroon’s top striker easily beat Denmark goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen with a powerful low shot.
The Danes replied when Kjaer sent a long diagonal pass from deep inside the Danish half down the right flank to Rommedahl.
The 31-year-old winger let the ball bounce off his chest, looked up to find Bendtner rushing toward the goal, and struck a low cross that the striker poked in.
Line-upsCameroon – Hamidou Souleymanou, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Nicolas Nkoulou, Sebastien Bassong (Mohamadou Idrissou, 72), Alex Song, Geremi, Samuel Eto’o, Achille Emana, Achille Webo (Vincent Aboubakar, 78), Eyong Enoh (Jean Makoun, 46), Stephane Mbia.
Denmark – Thomas Sorensen, Christian Poulsen, Simon Kjaer, Daniel Agger, Lars Jacobsen, Jesper Gronkjaer (Thomas Kahlenberg, 61), Jon Dahl Tomasson (Jakob Poulsen, 86), Martin Jorgensen (Daniel Jensen, 46), Nicklas Bendtner, Simon Poulsen, Dennis Rommedahl.
