Perth, Aug 1 (FN Agency) Denmark have booked their place in the knockout stage for the first time since 1995 following a narrow victory over Haiti here on Tuesday. Captain Pernille Harder put the Scandinavians in front with her first FIFA Women’s World Cup goal from the penalty spot midway through the first half, before Sanne Troelsgaard sealed the deal in the final minute of added time. Denmark started quickly and thought they had taken the lead in just the fourth minute when Simone Boye pounced on a Kerly Theus save to fire home. She was, though, marginally offside when she turned the ball in, and the goal was disallowed. Lars Sondergaard’s side wouldn’t need to wait much longer to get in front and settle any final-day nerves, though, when Haiti’s Dayana Pierre-Louis handled inside the box.
Harder stepped up and coolly rolled the resultant penalty home to give Denmark a priceless lead. The ball was in the Haiti net once more late in the second half when Signe Bruun collided with Theus outside the area. Play continued and Harder nodded into an empty net, but after consulting the pitch-side monitor, referee Ohhyeon Jeong adjudged Bruun to have fouled the keeper and the goal was chalked off. The Danes would eventually make the game safe at the death, when substitute Sanne Troelsgaard was played through and finished with aplomb into the bottom-left corner. The victory sets up a Sydney showdown with co-hosts Australia on August 7.