Sports news and briefs

Denmark beat Finland 2-1 in an international friendly on Tuesday night to complete an unofficial 2011 Nordic grand slam, following a 2-0 victory over fierce rivals Sweden last Friday and a crucial 2-0 defeat of Norway in Euro 2012 qualifying in September.  Ahead of the game in Esbjerg, national coach Morten Olsen had said the Finns were better than Sweden, and they started the brighter, taking a 1-0 lead into half-time. But two goals in two minutes from Daniel Agger and an in-form Nicklas Bendtner, to add to his brace against Sweden, sealed the win.

New sports channel

A new sports channel will debut on Danish television in March. Kanal Sport, which will be available as part of YouSee’s digital service, will reportedly show more local sports. The channel is the brainchild of Holger Kristiansen, the CEO and founder of Ecosys Media and Nordic Betting, which operates Bet24.

Faeroes get Danish coach

Former national side defender Lars Olsen, 50, who captained Denmark to victory at Euro 1992, has been confirmed as the new coach of the Faeroe Islands. He has signed a two-year contract and replaces Irishman Brian Kerr, who had been in charge since 2009.

Agony on the ice

Denmark came agonisingly close to making the playoff stages of the 2012 World Wheelchair Curling Championship qualification event in Lohja, Finland last week, enduring a miserable Wednesday to slip out of the top two. The Danes lost 4-8 to Italy in the morning, 5-6 to Japan in the afternoon and 5-7 to Germany.