Denmark opened up their FIFA World Cup 2018 campaign with a 1-0 win over Peru on Saturday at the Mordovia Arena in Saransk, Russia.
Yussuf Poulsen scored the winner after good work from Tottenham Hotspur's Christian Eriksen on 59 minutes.
The win means Denmark join France at the top of Group C on three points after the opening round of fixtures. Peru and Australia are without a point and have their work cut out if they are to progress to the knockout stages.
Heroic Schmeichel Proves He Can Carry Denmark's Hopes
Denmark were far from their best against Peru, but goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel simply would not be beaten.
The Leicester City man repelled everything thrown at him, and he had plenty to do. Squawka Football showed how he set a new record during the match:
He made a fine save from Edison Flores on the hour mark and followed it up with another brilliant block on the line from Jefferson Farfan after 83 minutes.
Peru looked the better team and will rue the many chances they missed, particularly Christian Cueva, who blazed a penalty over the bar.
The win gives Denmark a good chance of qualifying for the knockout stages, and in Schmeichel they have a solid foundation on which they can build their hopes of going deep into the tournament.
Peru Have The Right Approach But Must Be More Clinical
Peru are at the World Cup finals for the first time in 36 years, and they seem determined to make the most of it.
Ricardo Gareca's pacy side took the game to Denmark and were certainly not afraid to shoot on sight.
Squawka Football showed their attacking intent:
Football writer Matteo Bonetti offered his view of the game:
Andre Carrillo and Cueva caused their opponents all sorts of problems with their direct running.
Cueva had the best chance to open the scoring just before half-time when Peru were awarded a penalty. However, the forward stuttered in his run up and then blasted an awful effort way over the crossbar.
It was to prove a costly miss, and Peru must be more clinical if they are to have any chance of qualifying.
Eriksen Can't Do It All By Himself For Denmark
Eriksen is Denmark's talisman, and his influence on the team is huge.
He proved integral again, setting up Poulsen for the opening goal with a superb pass that left the striker with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Football writer Ben Pearce was impressed with Eriksen's contribution:
Squawka Football highlighted just how vital he is:
It was one of Denmark's rare forays forward, and Eriksen could have doubled their lead late on, but he saw his shot saved by goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.
Eriksen is clearly the key to Denmark's hopes, but they will need more from their other attacking players to make a real impact on the tournament.
VAR Proving Its Worth
The use of video assistant referees continues to provoke debate, and it was called into use again on Saturday when Peru were awarded a penalty in an incident initially missed by the referee.
Poulsen appeared to catch Edison Flores with his trailing leg, but play continued. VAR then intervened, and referee Bakary Gassama awarded the spot-kick.
TV presenter Gary Lineker offered his view:
Peru will feel hard done by at the result after creating far more chances than Denmark, but neither team can have any complaints about VAR's involvement.
What's Next
Both teams return to World Cup action on Thursday. Denmark take on Australia, who were beaten 2-1 by France in their opening game. Meanwhile, Peru face a tough test against Didier Deschamps' side.
Read 0 Comments
Download the app for comments Get the B/R app to join the conversation