Armenia humiliates Denmark 4-0 in Copenhague as Danes' World Cup hopes fade

COPENHAGEN - The Associated Press

Armenia players celebrates defeating Denmark 0-4 in their World Cup, Group B, qualifying soccer match played Parken, Copenhagen. AP photo

Denmark's hopes of reaching the 2014 World Cup finals are all but over after it slumped to a dismal 4-0 home defeat by Armenia in a qualifier on June 11.

"This is the worst evening in my football life," Denmark coach Morten Olsen said. "It is beyond my understanding that we cannot do better, but it is my fault 100 percent."

Armenia striker Yura Movsisyan opened the scoring within 30 seconds of the kickoff after Denmark's Simon Kjaer accidentally passed the ball to him.  Aras Ozbiliz made it 2-0 in the 19th minute, sending his shot past goalkeeper Stephan Andersen after a mistake by an increasingly error-prone Denmark defense.

Movsisyan added Armenia's third goal in the 59th minute, prompting fans to start leaving the Parken stadium. Armenia almost scored again in the 71st minute when Movsisyan's effort beat Andersen, only for William Kvist to make a goalline clearance.

But there was no stopping Henrikh Mkhitaryan from scoring Armenia's fourth in the 81st minute with a powerful left-foot shot. 

Denmark, the surprise 1992 European champions, disappointed throughout the 90 minutes. Substitute Simon Makienok came closest to scoring for the home side in the closing stages, but his initial shot hit the post and his effort on the rebound flew into the keeper's arms.

When Movsisyan, a former striker with Danish club Randers FC, left the pitch in the 83rd minute, the Denmark fans applauded him. To add insult to injury, Armenia leapfrogged Denmark in the standings.

Denmark lies fifth in the six-team Group B with six points from as many games. Group leader Italy has 12 points, Bulgaria 10, Czech Republic nine and Armenia six.