Young strike ensures England victory

Denmark 1 England 2

Darren Bent and Ashley Young combined to ensure England enjoyed a wonderful night in Copenhagen.

Christian Eriksen created an early opportunity for Nicklas Bendtner, and slammed a quite brilliant effort against the base of Joe Hart’s left-hand post.

Eriksen claimed the assist for Denmark’s early opener too.

As this was a warm-up for next month’s Euro 2012 qualifier with Wales, England coach Fabio Capello could not have been happy with the ease Denmark opened the scoring.

Eriksen’s curling cross was difficult to defend. Nevertheless, Lampard and John Terry would be disappointed Agger had so much space to steer the ball beyond Hart’s despairing grasp.

England did well to get themselves back on terms so quickly.

Capello had already acknowledged the work Rooney has done at Manchester United this season creating opportunities for others.

It was Rooney’s excellent pass that offered Theo Walcott the room to run, crossing low to the far post for Bent to tap home his second international goal.

Bent had a second disallowed for offside shortly before the interval, although that would have been tough luck on the Danes given England’s only other chance of note was a Rooney effort that Mathias Jorgensen booted off the line when the game was still goalless.

Capello made half of his six changes at the break, including the departures of both Wilshere and Lampard, who like his midfield partner did not make a significant contribution, and the long-awaited re-appearance of Scott Parker after an international absence of almost four and a half years; the first player to win his first four England caps while with four different clubs.

It also led to Ashley Cole taking the captain’s armband as he won his 87th cap, a record for a full-back, completing a remarkable few days for the 30-year-old, who was named England’s player of 2010 on Monday.

Eriksen looks as though he will be named Denmark’s equivalent on a few occasions.

Although the second half was largely a sterile affair, Eriksen provided a moment of genius as he checked inside Glen Johnson and cut into the box.

Fortunately for England, the cross did not match his earlier work.

Of those in white, Bent was impressing. He could not get the ball into the Denmark net when he went face to face with Thomas Sorensen in a bid to reach Young’s cross before racing on to James Milner’s through ball and blasting narrowly wide.

But it was Young who got the second, striding through confidently after Johnson had won possession just inside the Denmark half, then beating Sorensen with a neat, low finish.

It was the Aston Villa man’s first international goal and the highlight of a decent display for Young, a direct replacement for Rooney, whose elusiveness makes him quite effective in the hole, as Gerard Houllier has already discovered.

Young’s contribution enabled England to complete their first win in Scandinavia in nine attempts since 1992, just after Wilshere and Eriksen were born.

Wales do not offer the same threat but the same result in Cardiff on March 26 will do nicely when the challenge to reach Euro 2012 begins again.