Ice hockey-Denmark's 'Miracle Of Midtjylland' sends Canada crashing out
HERNING, Denmark : Denmark's miraculous comeback from a goal down to beat superpower Canada in the Midtjylland town of Herning to reach the semi-finals of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship was a result so seismic that not even the Danish players could believe what they had done.
A goal down with time running out, the Danes scored twice in the final three minutes on Thursday, including Nick Olesen's last-minute winner, to complete a stunning comeback that will live long in the annals of Danish sport.
"It's completely surreal. I'm in a bubble right now, it feels like a dream. We've beaten, in my opinion, the best national team in the world. For every Danish ice hockey player, they have about a thousand," Danish captain Jesper Jensen Aabo told national broadcaster DR.
"It shouldn't be possible, to be completely honest... I don't think there was anyone in this arena who believed it before the game but we believed in the locker room. We grabbed the tiny straw that was there, and we've made ice hockey history."
The Canadians came into the game as overwhelming favourites but the Danes shredded their lofty reputation with strong defending and a never-say-die attitude.
"It's hard to put into words. It's not so much about my goal, it's about the fact that we all fought our butts off for the whole 60 minutes. We beat Canada and that's the biggest thing in my career," winning goal-scorer Olesen said.
"Hearing the roar that went through the hall when I scored, I can only repeat that it is probably the greatest thing I have experienced in my ice hockey career," he added.
The reward for the Danes is a last-four game against Switzerland in Stockholm on Saturday, with Sweden facing Team USA in the other semi-final.
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