Nigeria are on their way home and the World Cup has lost one of its prime attractions after an unsung Danish team rewrote the script for another African extravaganza in the Stade de France.

The hopes born of invigorating performances against Spain and Bulgaria were blown apart before Jay Jay Okocha, around whom they had built many of their hopes, had a chance to display his brilliance.

Within two minutes of the start, Nigeria conceded a goal to Peter Moller and thereafter they stumbled from one crisis to another in a strangely bankrupt display.

If this wasn't the result FIFA wanted, it ought not fault the quality of Denmark's display. In terms of invention, they didn't begin to compare with Okocha but in the wily Michael Laudrup they possessed the game's most influential player.

At 37, the criticism in the first round was that Laudrup was trading on his reputation. This was the occasion he chose to set the record straight and as the most distinguished Dane of his generation prospered, so the level of the team picked up dramatically.

Laudrup set up the chance for Moller's goal, a delightful flick with the outside of his boot giving the striker the chance to leave Peter Rufai stranded with a fiercely driven shot.

It would set the scene for a miserable evening for Rufai, who made the ghastliest errors and clearly sapped the confidence of those in front of him. Typical was his mistake in turning Moller's shot back across the face of the goal mouth. Brian Laudrup was in like a flash to pick up the pieces.

Nor was his tribulation yet over, for in the 59th minute the ubiquitous Michael Laudrup pounced again, turning the ball back for Ebbe Sand, only in the game a matter of seconds after replacing Moller, to fire the ball exultantly into the corner of the net.

By now, the Danes were surprising even themselves by scampering through the African defence at will and when the unfortunate Rufai dropped Martin Jorgensen's shot, Thomas Helveg was in for the goal which polished a sensational victory.

All the Nigerians could offer by reply was Tijjani Babangida's goal in the 78th minute but by then it scarcely mattered. Denmark were set for an attractive meeting with Brazil at Nantes on Friday.

It was, by some way, Denmark's best display since their storied exploits in the European championship in Sweden six years ago and it was achieved, primarily, by winning the midfield battles.

In terms of style, Denmark are not likely to win many accolades. Yet as long as Michael Laudrup continues in this vein and Moller keeps cutting swathes down the centre of opposing defences, they cannot be dismissed.

Nigeria's decision to go with Nwankwo Kanu instead of Daniel Amokachi was shown to be suspect and with Victor Ikpeba curiously out of touch, Marc Rieper and Jes Hogh presided with little opposition in the Danish defence.

Allan Nielsen and Helveg were important components in Denmark's midfield supremacy. "The first and most important thing was to deny Nigeria the chance of setting the tempo and in achieving it we owed a lot to the way our midfield players got among them," manager Bo Johansson said.

"This was closer to the real Denmark and I think there is still more improvement to come. Now we look forward to the job of putting Brazil out of the competition."

For Nigeria, it was something of a crass misadventure. High on the praise of earlier displays, it's possible they underestimated the Danes. For whatever reason, they never got their game together and with established players such as Taribo West and George Finidi out of sorts, even the threat of Okocha was rendered harmless in the end.

That Nigeria were able to retrieve a semblance of respect ability after that calamitous start was down to Okocha. He had scarcely put his foot on the ball before the second goal flashed up on the scoreboard, but once he got to the heart of the action his teammates were suddenly revived.

Kanu, whose languid style often looks at odds with those around him, was the other rallying point but, cruelly, it was his misfortune to miss some of the better chances as the crowd willed Nigeria back into contention.

Okocha's through pass, judged to almost the last roll of the ball, left him in a one-on-one situation with Peter Schmeichel. After failing to control the ball in the first instance, he then attempted to take the ball around the goalkeeper and, as any striker in the FA Premiership would quickly attest, that amounted to mission impossible.

Later, Okocha's cross was tantalisingly out of reach of his head and, in a sense, that said it all about Nigeria's first-half performance.

Hope persisted that Nigeria could retrieve something from the shambles but with Sand's goal, the lights went out.