USA fall short as Denmark win behind Bendtner's heroic hat trick
ÅRHUS, Denmark
Nicklas Bendtner struck twice in the final 10 minutes to complete his first international hat trick and send the United States men’s national team to a 3-2 defeat in Denmark.
The often-profligate VfL Wolfsburg striker located the necessary precision to spark the Danish response after Jozy Altidore staked the Americans to the lead with his half-volley inside the opening 20 minutes. Bendtner tapped home from six yards to restore parity after the half hour, but Aron Jóhannsson responded after 66 minutes to give the visitors the lead against the run of play.
It looked like the Americans might escape with a victory, but Bendtner engineered another painful demise instead. He smashed home inside the final 10 minutes to level the proceedings at 2-2 and then rounded off his night with a half-volley at the death to give the home side the win.
It proved a deserved ending on a night when the Americans did not do enough to disrupt Denmark in possession after the break despite their positive spells from time to time. Their effective work on the counter did not prove enough to compensate as the pressure built in the late stages and ultimately led to another late defeat. The result leaves Klinsmann with plenty of points to ponder ahead of the trip to Switzerland on Tuesday (live, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports Go, 12 p.m. ET).
Klinsmann resisted the urge to throw Ventura Alvarado and William Yarbrough straight into the fray and trusted his familiar faces to lead the efforts. Michael Bradley captained the side from the start for the first time and partnered Alejandro Bedoya in central midfield, while Fabian Johnson pushed onto the left side of midfield to allow Timothy Chandler and Greg Garza to occupy the fullback positions.
The decision to play Altidore and Jóhannsson in tandem up front allowed the Americans to settle relatively well in the early stages. The earnest work at the outset tapered a bit as Denmark found its way into the game, but those efforts eventually set the stage for the opener after 19 minutes.
Chandler latched onto the ball on the right and picked up his head to cross. He floated a service toward the back post. Altidore assessed the flight of the ball correctly and muscled through Wass at the back post. He cleared enough space to thrash home on the half-volley to send the Americans in front.
Denmark perked up after conceding and wrested control of the game in possession. Christian Eriksen flickered to life from time to time as he sought the perfect punctuation mark to his 50th appearance, but his movement mostly created room for others to operate. The protracted spells on the ball eventually created the opening required to generate the equalizer just after the half-hour.
Everything stemmed from tidy work on the ball. The cadence eventually allowed Wass to collect on the right and pick apart the American defense. He played a quick one-two on the edge of the penalty area and then slipped behind the line. His resulting cross drifted through Lasse Vibe at the near post and fell kindly for the unmarked Bendtner to turn home at the back stick.
It proved a deserved riposte for a Danish side well into the ascendancy by that point in the proceedings. The visitors clawed their way to safe ground at halftime, but the start of the second half found them under consistent pressure as the Danes went in search of a second.
Eriksen nearly reaped the benefit of those efforts shortly after play resumed. The Tottenham playmaker drifted free at the back post and located a ball over the top. He pulled a low shot toward the far post, but Nick Rimando caught just enough of the shot to allow Michael Orozco to sweep it away from danger.
Denmark continued to push in the wake of that intervention as the Americans sat deeply and soaked up pressure, but the breakthrough eventually came against the run of play down the other end.
Bradley found himself granted too much time and space on the ball inside the attacking half. He picked out Altidore and played him over the top with a sumptuous ball to catch out the static Danes. Altidore anticipated the delivery and raced behind the line. He pulled the ball back across for Jóhannsson to smash home.
Jóhannsson’s final touch of the night provided the Americans with an unexpected advantage given the Danes’ dominance in possession. They improved a bit in the following minutes to bolster their bid to collect a victory, but the Danes pushed and pushed in the final quarter of an hour before finally engineering their breakthrough.
Second-half substitute Thomas Delaney claimed possession at the far post and delivered a ball back toward the top of the goal area. The aerial challenge eventually sent the ball skipping out toward the far post. Bendtner once again enjoyed the freedom to move into position and then smash home past Rimando to restore parity.
The equalizer proved no less than Denmark deserved on the night. It also spurred the hosts in the waning stages in their bid to snatch a victory at the death. Eriksen eventually stood over the ball with a chance to confirm it, but he sent his late effort straight into the wall instead.
It looked like the Americans might somehow escape with a draw, but Bendtner had other plans as the match entered stoppage time. He completed his hat trick with a well-taken half-volley inside the far post to give the Danes a deserved victory and send the Americans spiraling to a painful defeat to start their two-game European excursion.
