Danes Dominate Haiti: Pernille Harder's Penalty Secures Last-16 Spot in Women's World Cup
Denmark's captain, Pernille Harder, scored her first-ever Women's World Cup goal with a penalty, leading her team to a confident 2-0 win over Haiti This victory secures Denmark's place in the last 16 of the tournament Exciting times lie ahead as they progress further
Pernille Harder, the captain of Denmark, scored her first-ever goal in the Women's World Cup by converting a penalty in the first half. This goal paved the way for a 2-0 victory over Haiti on Tuesday and secured Denmark's spot in the last 16 of the tournament.
This victory comes as a relief for the Danish team, as they had not advanced to the knockout stage since 1995. In the group stage, England emerged as the leaders of Group D after a 6-1 victory over China. They will face Nigeria in Brisbane on Monday. Meanwhile, Denmark, who finished as runners-up, will go head-to-head with Australia in Sydney.
Denmark made a strong start and showed determination even after defender Simone Boye's third-minute goal was disallowed by VAR.
In the 21st minute, Haiti midfielder Dayana Pierre-Louis committed a handball foul and conceded a penalty. Harder took the opportunity and calmly placed the ball into the bottom-left corner from the spot.
The Bayern Munich player missed out on the opportunity to score two more goals. In the 45th minute, his effort was ruled offside, and in the 83rd minute, his header was disallowed due to a foul committed by Signe Bruun on the diminutive Caribbean goalkeeper Kerly Theus outside the penalty area.
Despite being ranked 55th in the world, Haiti displayed great determination in their pursuit of an equalizer, particularly after the halftime break. However, the 18th-ranked Danish team ultimately showcased their experience and emerged victorious. In stoppage time, substitute Sanne Troelsgaard secured the outcome of the match.
What's next?
Haiti's first World Cup campaign concludes without a victory in the three matches, while Denmark successfully moves on to the last 16 stage of the Women's World Cup. They are set to face co-hosts Australia in Sydney on Monday August 7 at 11am.What is the schedule?
The group stage spans two weeks and concludes on August 3. The teams who emerge as winners and runners-up in each group will progress to the round of 16, scheduled to take place from August 5 to August 8.The quarter-finals are set to take place on August 11 and 12 in Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane, and Sydney. The first semi-final will be held in Auckland on August 15, followed by the other semi-final at Sydney's Accor Stadium on August 16. The grand finale will also be held at the Accor Stadium on August 20.
A third-place play-off will be played the day before the final on August 19 in Brisbane.
