Sports News in Brief: Toothless Lions toppled in New Firm clash

Elsewhere, Wozniacki, Eriksen and the women’s national football team are among the candidates for an annual sports award

It’s been a long time coming, but it finally happened. Well, actually, two things happened.

Brøndby beat FC Copenhagen at Telia Parken Stadium for the first time in 13 years, and the 0-1 New Firm loss meant it was the first time since 15 August 2014 that the Lions had lost at home in the Superliga.

Christian Nørgaard’s first-half header proved enough for Brøndby, who now sit on top of the Superliga on 33 points, eleven points ahead of their bitter rivals from Østerbro, who lie in fifth place.

“I wouldn’t say we are out of the title race, but it will be extremely difficult and it’s not something for us to dwell on right now,” FCK coach Ståle Solbakken told BT.

“One thing is for sure. We are a long way behind Brøndby and we are a long way behind FC Midtjylland and FC Nordsjælland. So we mustn’t waste time looking at the table.”

There are still 21 rounds to be played in the Superliga and there are four games to go before the clubs go on their winter break.


Sportsperson of the year
Caroline Wozniacki and Christian Eriksen have both enjoyed a solid 2017 and are among the 15 candidates vying for ‘Årets Sportsnavn’, the award given to the sportsperson of the year in Denmark. Others in the running for the award include Viktor Axelsen (badminton), the women’s national football team, Pernille Blume (swimming) and Jakob Fuglsang (cycling).

Lords of Norway and Sweden
Nicklas Bendtner and Rosenborg won the Norwegian Eliteserien over the weekend after their closest competitor Molde lost. The Danish striker has been instrumental in Rosenborg’s championship, and with 18 goals to his name he leads the race to be top scorer with two games to go. Over the border, meanwhile, Malmö retained their Swedish Allsvenskan title. The Swedish club’s Danish midfielder Anders Christiansen has been nominated for two Allsvenskan awards: player of the season and midfielder of the season.

Wolves secure Sanneh
FC Midtjylland has signed defender Bubacarr Sanneh from AC Horsens in a bid to bolster its campaign to win the Superliga title this year. The Gambian has been a rock at the back for Horsens so far this season where he was part of a defence that had only conceded 19 goals in 15 games. Sanneh has proven to be dangerous at set-pieces as well, netting four goals so far this season.

Clara’s triumph
Denmark’s new tennis hope Clara Tauson won her first senior tournament of her budding career yesterday thanks to a 6-3, 6-2 win over Ekaterina Yashina of Russia, the world number 571, in the final of the ITF tournament in Stockholm. The win netted the young Dane 15,000 US dollars in purse winnings.