Denmark 0-0 France
And that’s all that matters. It wasn’t a classic, far from it, as France and Denmark seemed happy to play out the first goalless draw of the tournament.
So far at FIFA 2018 France has been efficient if not spectacular, and with such an array of talent there must be more to come from Les Bleus. But in the run up to the tournament Denmark coach Age Hareide said France was nothing special. He didn’t really get the chance to find out for sure, as Les Bleus made six changes from their winning team but he didn’t see anything to challenge his view, not that his team was any better.
The prize on offer at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow was to top Group C, with the French in pole position with two wins from two, and at least they kept hold of that. And our pre-match SBOBET odds pointed to a close enough game, with the draw at a small price of 2.76. A stalemate was always going to be enough for both sides.
Highlights of the game
With qualification in the bag Didier Deschamps rang the changes and Olympique Marseilles’ keeper Steve Mandanda started his first game, in place of skipper Hugo Lloris, while Paul Pogba and Kylian M’Bappe also took a break. Andreas Cornelius made a start for Denmark and he was involved in the first action, getting in behind the French defence and falling under a challenge from Presnel Kimpembe, but no penalty.
Then a penalty appeal at the other end was also dismissed after the ball struck Jorgensen but the referee wasn’t interested.
When the FIFA 2018 updates from Sochi came through, the news that Peru had scored against Australia prompted a cheer from the Denmark fans who knew that only an Aussie win could stop them from qualifying.
Christian Eriksen is the man who makes Denmark tick, one of the most respected midfielders in the English Premier League , if he plays well the Danes have a chance. And he linked up well with Cornelius before bursting into the box and almost getting his shot away, but Lucas Hernandez put a last ditch tackle in.
Antoine Griezmann almost sprung the Denmark offside trap with a good run, but the flag went up, much to Olivier Giroud’s relief after the Chelsea striker spooned the ball over. And then moments before the half time whistle Jorgensen cut the sprinting Griezmann down, as the Atletico man advanced on the penalty area, to pick up a yellow card for the team.
Eriksen was the first to try his luck in the second half, firing a shot in from distance which Mandanda clutched at the second attempt. But the Danes’ qualification was all but confirmed when the news came through that Peru had gone two up.
With 20 minutes left and both sides seemingly happy to play it out, Deschamps tried to inject some spark by replacing his top man Griezmann with the livewire Nabil Fekir. And it almost worked when the young striker curled his shot just wide and into the side netting.
The crowd began to show its lack of appreciation; booing and whistling as they watched any life in the game fizzle out. Then they started to amuse themselves by cheering every pass! Fekir kept trying though and he tested Schmeichel with a decent low drive.
Deschamps cut a frustrated figure and he brought on Kylian M’Bappe, and the PSG striker danced past a couple of defenders but couldn’t find Giroud with his pass.
I think we could have played another 90 minutes without a goal!
Key statistics
It’s 20 years since France won the World Cup, on home soil, and it might be another 20 if this don’t wake up from this performance!
Denmark knocked France out of the World Cup at the group stages in 2002, when Les Bleus were defending champions. But they didn’t have any chance to exact revenge as Denmark would have been through with a defeat anyway.
Denmark keeper Kasper Schmeichel holds the record for the most minutes for a Danish goalkeeper without conceding a goal, by the time Australia’s Mile Jedinak put a penalty past him, he had surpassed his dad, Peter’s, record.
And a clean sheet against France was rarely in doubt.
What’s next?
France meets second place in Group D, while Denmark faces the group winners. But neither Croatia nor Argentina, which is the most likely pairing to emerge from the Group of Death, would be easy, for varying reasons. Croatia has been mightily impressive in qualifying after just two games, while Leo Messi will be desperate to finish his World Cup journey with a bang.
In 19 days time the Luzhniki Stadium hosts the World Cup Final and Les Bleus could be there. FIFA 2018 betting markets suggest they might be, but the undoubted talent Deschamps has at his disposal, needs to resurface…and quickly
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