Denmark and Peru face off in their first games of this year's World Cup.
ADVERTISEMENTDenmark defeated Peru in their first game of the World Cup to move level with France on three points in Group C.
Youssef Poulsen's second-half goal gave Denmark victory over a Peru side who played very well themselves.
Peru, who are playing at their first World Cup for 36 years, created plenty of chances of their own and were unlucky not to get anything from the game.
The best chance for Peru came from a penalty given after a VAR review at the end of the first half. Initially, the referee did not give the penalty but after consulting the pitch-side monitor, decided Cueva was fouled — Cueva then took the shot, hitting it over the bar.
Peru were on top for large periods of the second half but could not find a way past Kasper Schmeichel, with Denmark holding on for a victory.
Five takeaways from Peru vs Denmark
36 years in the making
Peru's return to the World Cup has been well publicised and it is plain to see why. After 36 years out, they have returned to football's biggest stage and their fans are letting everyone know they're there. The atmosphere in the Moldavia Arena was amazing with only 700 Danish fans and almost all the rest supporting Peru — this is a big moment in their history and they're going to enjoy it!
Cueva's penalty miss
Christian Cueva had the chance to put Peru ahead in the game, being handed a penalty just before halftime. He stepped up, with his nation on his shoulders, and missed, blazing the ball over the bar. In truth, it was a terrible penalty and Cueva was visibly upset and his country will be hoping that he can move on and not let it affect the rest of his games.
Eriksen's reliance
This game highlighted Denmark's reliance on Christian Eriksen — for large parts of the game Eriksen was poor and Denmark struggled to get going. Their goal came from an Eriksen pass and it was the only real moment of quality from the side, which will send a message to future teams: if they can stop Christian Eriksen, they can stop Denmark.
The Schmeichel legacy
Kasper Schmeichel broke a Danish record today — the most consecutive minutes without conceding for Denmark. This record was previously held by none other than Peter Schmeichel, so not only has Kasper started following in his Dad's footsteps by representing Denmark at a World Cup, he's also started taking his records from him!
The Peruvian Spirit
One thing that cannot be denied is the spirit that Peru's players showed, even though they lost they fought to the end. Their reaction to Cueva missing his penalty was not of disappointment or anger, it was to console him and try to pick his head up for the second half and the games to come.