Bermuda 1 Denmark Under 23's 2 A goal from a free kick two minutes before the final whistle undid Bermuda at Wellington Oval as the Danes clinched a hard-fought come-from-behind victory with two late goals.

Denmark actually netted all three goals, after Bermuda were gifted an own goal just four minutes into the second half. The equaliser came 20 minutes later and the winner 19 minutes after that as Bermuda paid for an error just when a draw looked the likely outcome.

"It was a very difficult game for us for two reasons,'' said Denmark coach Jen Poulsen afterwards.

"Bermuda was very physical which made it difficult for us and plus the pitch was very hard and maybe our technique is not as good as it should be, playing on a field like this.

"The last part of the second half was okay, the speed came up and we were a little more aggressive. We were too slow in the first half.'' Denmark paid an early price when midfielder Brian Priske, one of the country's brightest young stars, was taken off with a foot injury after a late tackle by Meshach Wade floored him in the 17th minute. Wade pushed the ball too far in front of him and in his eagerness to retrieve it was late with his tackle as Priske moved in.

Depending on the seriousness of the injury, the youngster may be flown back immediately to Denmark for treatment. He was recently involved in one of the highest ever Danish transfer fees when he was sold to AaB for five million Kronas.

It was a physical match from the outset with Peter Degn booked by referee Lyndon Raynor for fouling Stanton Lewis. Bermuda were prepared to match their opponents in that department, though Denmark looked the more fluent and more likely to break the deadlock.

It almost happened in the 26th minute when striker Peter Madsen beat goalkeeper Dwayne (Streaker) Adams with a shot from just inside the box which hit the upright.

Bermuda, mostly on the defensive in the first half, had their first real chance in the 36th minute when a weak shot from Kenny Mills went straight to goalkeeper Jesper Christiansen.

Midfielder Dennis Robinson pulled up with an injury in the last minute of the first half when he dummied a pass and turned and aggravated a recurring foot injury as he tried to sprint to retrieve the ball. Robinson spent half time sitting on the bench icing the foot before being replaced by Andrew Rahman at the start of the second half.

It took Rahman just four minutes to make an impact as he was involved in the opening goal in the 49th minute. Mills sprayed a pass to him wide on the right and Rahman's low cross back into the middle was deflected over the line by defender Kim Madsen. Referee's assistant Cal Simons was in position to flag that the ball had crossed the line before it was booted out.

The goal boosted the confidence of the Bermuda team and forced the visitors to dig deep to produce the equaliser. Kim Jensen and Otis Steede were both booked in an off-the-ball scuffle right in front of Raynor.

The equaliser came seven minutes later when Mads Jorgensen crossed from the left and Madsen scored with a firm far post header.

Bermuda started to tire late in the game and Jorgensen almost made them pay when he intercepted a wayward pass and blasted a long range shot just over the bar.

Five minutes later the winner came. Captain Shannon Burgess fouled substitute Iddi Alkhag on the edge of the box and was booked. Midfielder Mikkel Jensen, the Denmark captain, saw his free kick strike a Bermuda player before hitting the upright and going across goal where Degn applied the finishing touches.

Bermuda: D.Adams; S.Burgess, K.Jennings, C.Roberts, M.Wade, D.Boyles, S.Lewis, O.Steede (D.Binns 79min), K.Mills (Kai.Dill 82min), A.Russell, D.Robinson (A.Rahman 46min).

Denmark: J.Christiansen; K.Madsen, M.Laursen, T.Baelum, B.Priske (J.Andersen 21min), P.Degn, M.Jensen, Kim Jensen (S.Hansen 64min), Mads Jorgensen, C.Nielsen, P.Madsen (I.Alkhag 71min).

Referee: Lyndon Raynor Men of the match: Meshach Wade (Bermuda), Mikkel Jensen (Denmark).

WINNER -- Denmark's Peter Degn (6) moves in to convert this loose ball from a Mikkel Jensen free-kick as Bermuda captain Shannon Burgess tries in vain to prevent the goal. Watching is Claus Nielsen.