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Scorers: Christian Eriksen (DEN) 7th Minute: Mile Jedinak (AUS) 38th Minute
As the whistle blew for full-time, both sets of fans were left wondering what could have been. A breathless encounter between Denmark and Australia ended with both teams sharing a spoil of the points. Unfortunately for Australia, it leaves them in a precarious position if they are to qualify for the knockout stages.
Denmark though should thank their lucky stars as they were forced on the back-foot time and again by the team from Down Under. Indeed what was surprising was the manner in which Australia took the game to Denmark. The Danes were at the time left grasping thin air as they tried to curtail the Australian forwards and praise should be reserved for the Australians who failed to acknowledge nervousness ahead of this tie.
The Danes know depending on other results a draw will be enough for them to get them out of the group, whereas for the Aussies, they will have to win and hope other results go their way. In lieu of that, here is look at some of the talking points of this game:-
#1 Vibrant Aussies give Danes a torrid time
Australia must have left with the feeling of being short-changed after their meet against the Danes. With the exception of the first 15 minutes, the men from Ozzieland did more than test the Danish defence. They dominated possession and were innovative in attack as they created chances after chances without being able to create a clear-cut one.
The penalty though was a deserved one as Poulsen was found guilty of a handball after raising his arms. More importantly, replays revealed that the Dane had indeed moved his arm towards the ball and somewhat helped change the direction of the flight of the ball. Fans may argue that there wasn’t any intention but referees are trained to judge the action of the player at that moment and not their psychological stage and hence the penalty was rightly awarded.
Words of praise should be reserved for the Australian forward, Leckie who soared over his marker to direct a header which was blocked by the flailing arm of Yussuf Poulsen, the scorer of the goal against Peru in their first group fixture against Peru. The paucity of crisp finishing will haunt Aussies if they finally slip out of the tournament.
#2 Eriksen’s lethal strike gives Denmark the edge
Australia were the architects of their own downfall in this game. The goal conceded by the Aussies was pretty much avoidable. Denmark may have started the game well but Australia will curse their conservatism in the early minutes as they let the Danes pass with freedom.
The build-up to the goal was a prime example of such freedom as the Australians failed to clear their lines. With the ball being played back into the Australian box, Jorgensen was the first to get to it as he chested the ball onto the path of the onrushing Eriksen who finished with a sweet half-volley strike that went right through the keeper Matt Ryan.
The strike was so pure and masterful that it was past Ryan, even before he realized it. Classy finish from Eriksen, who has been touted as one of the stars of this World Cup. Statistics don’t lie and Eriksen’s direct involvement in 18 goals in his last 15 appearances for Denmark is a verification of that.
It was the early lead that kept the Danes in the game as they failed to put any sustained pressure on the Aussie defence through the entirety of the game. And despite their best effort to settle down and control the game, it was the Aussies who grew into the game and the reward for it was a deserved equaliser.
#3 A full-blooded contest for the Danes who will face tougher challenges ahead
VAR decisions have been the talking point for a few games but fortunately for FIFA, no such decision has been passed that would cause outrage. Naysayers will challenge the decision of the referee to award a penalty to Australia given Poulsen’s unnatural position but as has been mentioned in the earlier point, it is not the intention that matters rather it is the action.
The Danes will be more bothered about their lack of intensity in the mid-field after no particular player from their team failed to take charge. They were outrun by the Australians and their heavy reliance on Eriksen is a concern. Sisto was one of the brighter stars of this game as he kept on running at the Aussie defence something which his team-mates failed to do on a constant basis.
With both teams giving their all in the game, it meant it was an end to end game. The Danes managed possession only in the dying minutes of the game but were undone by poor final balls as they failed to deliver crosses which could have caused panic in the Aussie defence.
#4 Leckie the man for Australia
Bert van Marwijk may not have been the most popular appointment for Australia ahead of this World Cup. While he was right in recognizing the attributes of his opponent, it was his abject failure to nullify Eriksen that will haunt him the most. Having taken over the head coach role only at the start of the year, the Dutchman has hardly had any time to prepare with his charges.
Nevertheless, he knows enough about the Asian qualifiers having guided Saudi Arabia to this tournament before abruptly resigning having failed to agree to a new contract with the Saudi FA. That said, Leckie was the one pulling the strings for Australia when it came to creating chances in the game.
Leckie’s relentless running down the flanks was one of the highlights of the game but was undone by his composure in front of the goal. Time will be an indicator when it comes to improvement but in tournaments like this, it is now or never. So better for players to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.
#5 Schmeichel’s late heroics give Danish victory.
Twice in the closing minutes, it was Schmeichel who came to the rescue. Having denied Daniel Arzani who shot straight at him for a tight angle, the Dane was also effective in repelling Leckie. It was in the 89th minute when Denmark failed to clear their lines and in the process offering Arzani the opportunity to run at the Danish defence.
And the teenager didn’t disappoint as he cut in from the left only to be thwarted by the Danish keeper. Thereafter, another chance did fall to the teenager on his left foot but he failed to summon the power to make the Leicester City keeper work.
Australia was the more pro-active side in the dying minutes of the game as they continued to break up Danish attacks in midfield and passing the ball quickly to their forwards. Their masterful disruption of the Danish style of play led to Sisto being frustrated which led him to earn a booking as well.
Rogic was another standout player creating opportunity after opportunity but with no end-product. A mention over here of the battling Nabbout who suffered a shoulder injury of an innocuous challenge as he looked to control his fall.
