Scandinavian trio end on a high

Scandinavian challengers Norway, Finland and Denmark each won their first match at the fourth attempt as their Algarve Cup campaigns concluded on Wednesday.

Norway fifth
Norway failed to score in Group A but only conceded one goal as a defeat by Germany consigned them to third place in the pool and a play-off for fifth place against China. The Norwegians amassed 24 chances on goal but only managed to find the net once as Trine Rønning rifled in a fine individual effort from outside the area. "We deserved this victory," said coach Bjarne Berntsen. "Our performances in our three games have been better than the results suggested. I see China as one of the favourites to win the [2007 FIFA Women's] World Cup so it was great to beat them." Berntsen singled out a number of players for praise, especially captain Ane Stangeland whom he labeled "our star performer".

Finland recovery
Finland recovered from finishing at the bottom of Group A to seal seventh spot with an exciting 4-3 victory against Mexico. Finland were superb in the first half, and deservedly went in 3-0 ahead at half-time as Laura Kalmari (8 and 20) scored either side of Anna-Kaisa Rantanen's header. Anne Mäkinen made it 4-0 soon after the restart, although a late Mexican charge ensured a nervous finale. Coach Michael Käld said: "We played really well in the first half as we kept it simple and played the ball quickly behind their defence. Obviously I'm concerned about the mistakes at the end but our play is getting better all the time and we can be confident ahead of our next World Cup qualifier against Poland.

Bonde content
Denmark finally had something to smile about today as they eased to a 4-0 victory against the Republic of Ireland. Cathrine Paaske Sørensen scored twice in the first half and Maiken Pape once before Anne Dot Eggers stroked in a free-kick in the 78th minute to complete a morale-boosting win for the side which finished on the foot of Group B. "Our defence was very strong today and we kept them from scoring which was important," said coach Peter Bonde. "I was happy to see the 'old' Paaske as she's been a bit down in recent games." Denmark return to World Cup qualifying action against Belgium on 26 March.