Denmark 4 – 0 Canada
While some might have been hopeful a youth injection into the squad would have brought a positive result, in the end the quality of Danish football was too much for Canada as they were soundly defeated 4-0. Andreas Cornelius was the man of the match as his hat-trick was the statement of the afternoon in burying Canada in their first game since being eliminated from World Cup Qualifying.
Post match Colin Miller laid out the result and used the key word in looking back on this match - perspective. Running through both rosters should give an indication where each side stood - with Denmark employing a young team, but one where their players are competing week in week out. Canada, on the other hand, was comprised of similar youth, but players who are still trying to establish themselves in the first team and not quite as match fit, or at the same professional level.
This was evident mostly on the defensive side as Dejan Jakovic was the only defender who looked the part with Doniel Henry especially struggling, but as Miller was right to point out, never gave up and fought to the end of the 90 minutes. Still at only 19 years of age, it is important to keep the bigger picture in mind as games such as this will serve as important building blocks for the likes of Henry, Teibert, Bekker and Porter.
Looking ahead to the game on Tuesday against the United States, the competitiveness between the two countries should bring a more intense display than seen Saturday afternoon. Miller has a few goalkeeper options to consider with Roberto Stillo still available and might want to look at the possibility of getting Kyle Porter in earlier as well as mixing up the midfield with Phillippe Davies or Mason Trafford.
The key to the ratings, as seems to be the logic on a scale of 1-10, is not to view it as a “grade”, as in a 6 would be a 60 or a C. The formula is that each player begins the game with a 5 and is the equilibrium from which their performance either improves or degrades moving in increments of .5.
Here is the breakdown of the starting XI:
Lars Hirschfeld—4
Wasn’t really much he could do on any of the Denmark goals. Perhaps the first one, which was directed in rather than headed with authority, he could have gotten, but the rest his defenders let him down. He also did make some fine saves to prevent the score from even getting higher in his 45 minutes of work.
Doneil Henry—3
Henry had the toughest day of the Canadians. It’s still quite obvious that he’s very raw and will need minutes this year with both the National Team but especially Toronto FC if he is to develop into a starter at this level. Got caught lunging in on tackles when he really shouldn’t have that allowed Danish players to move and had trouble with his passing, especially in the first half. To his credit he looked better in the second half.
Dejan Jakovic—4.5
Jakovic was the most reliable of the Canadian defenders. His experience showed at this level on the backline as he was not caught unaware as some of his teammates were. As the veteran in the group he put in some solid tackles and won a few footraces to the ball.
Nana Attakora—4
He had a lot of difficulty marking the Danish attackers. As expected, it looked like the organization and communication on the backline could have improved as defined roles in marking left something to be desired. Attakora did demonstrate good competitiveness and determination which should be seen as a positive for a player who is looking to reestablish his career this season.
Ashtone Morgan—4
Denmark had lots of room on Morgan’s side of the
field. Not totally his fault as Russell Teibert was caught out of
position on more than one occasion. Saw what most do week in week out at
TFC which is plenty of potential going down the wing, but room for
improvement defending. He had a nice cross early in the game that was
Canada’s best chance of the half.
Terry Dunfield—4.5
As was the case with most of the teams, it was a tough day for Dunfield. Didn’t really provide much control of the ball and was chasing most of the game. As a positive, after Morgan, he did deliver the only dangerous passes of the afternoon with a nice chip over the top to Teibert and through ball to Ricketts.
Nik Ledgerwood—4
Wasn’t much of a factor but was able to move the ball around a bit and was pretty close to connecting on his early audacious diving header attempt on Ashtone Morgan’s early cross.
Kyle Bekker—5
Not a bad performance from Bekker. His vision and talent were clear the rare occasion he had the ball and was able to pull the strings a little bit but he just didn’t get the ball much to make much of a difference. Kept things tidy and moved the ball around quickly, although was unable to create anything dangerous. Also wasn’t great on the defensive side of things.
Russell Teibert—4
As much as his speed can be his weapon it’s almost as if he had a bit too much confidence in it. Time and again he drifted too far inside leaving a Danish player on the wing to create something. He was able to get back a few times but Canada’s left side had a lot of space for the Danes to play in. Had a few decent chances in the offensive end, with a header that could have done a bit better and worked across the top of the box to test the keeper but those were his main positives on the day.
Tosaint Ricketts—4.5
Had De Rosario with him early on to play off of but De Rosario then dropped back leaving Ricketts virtually alone which doesn’t play to his strengths. Showed his pace on a few occasions and was busy up top with a weak shot on goal in the first half, but there was little service to get him the chances needed to convert. Let a good shot go from about 25 yards out in the second half.
Dwayne De Rosario—4.5
Certainly a welcomed return for De Rosario to the Canadian lineup, it was pretty obvious that he hasn’t played since September. One of the few players who didn't look out of place on the field, composure-wise, and even without match fitness was still lurking, ready to strike. Had a good chance in the early minutes of the game but just isn’t clearly up to his expected performance level.
Substitutes
Simon Thomas—5
There wasn’t much he could have done on the goal he conceded. Made a few sure saves and came off his line smartly on one occasion to smother the ball. Looks to have a solid foundation as he correctly parried shots away from goal, and distributed the ball well. However, on occasion there was pretty clear there were a few nerves with an errant close-range pass that went out for a Danish throw-in.
Evan James - 5
Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault -5
Mason Trafford -5
Phillippe Davies- 5
Kyle Porter - 5
|