MATCH 13 REVIEW : BULGARIA DOWN AND OUT

Opening loss
Bulgaria coach Plamen Markov had indicated beforehand that he would happily settle for an ugly win after being on the wrong end of a heavy 5-0 defeat by Sweden on Monday, but a victory in Braga never looked likely.

Packed midfield
Markov tried to stifle the threat posed by the Danes by playing five men in midfield with Dimitar Berbatov ploughing a lone furrow up front. It was a strategy designed to contain Denmark rather than take the game to them and from the first whistle Bulgaria looked a demoralised team who had lost the form and confidence that took them to Portugal as winners of their qualifying group.

Positive Denmark
Denmark on the other hand were positive from the outset with Dennis Rommedahl and Martin Jørgensen stretching the Bulgarian defence and sending a regular supply of crosses into the danger area. Given the chances they created in the first half the Danes should have been ahead much earlier than the 44th minute, and for a while it looked as though their profligacy in front of goal might cost them again.

Tomasson strikes again
But just before half-time Jon Dahl Tomasson - who scored both goals the last time these two countries met, in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in 2001 - struck again to ease the Danish nerves. Jesper Grønkjær's goal in injury time was the icing on the cake, but the Danes should have had the game wrapped up long before then.

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