The final match of 2018 FIFA World Cup’s Group C featured the tournament’s first scoreless draw and Peru blanking Australia.
Australia
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Coming into this match, Australia needed a big win and some help in order to move onto the knockout rounds. Peru, on the other hand, had already been eliminated.
First Half
Australia got off to a decent start, controlling possession but lacked a little bit of imagination to get on the board. Peru, despite having no points in the World Cup, had lost twice by a score of 1-0. They would show to be competitive and tough to get by.
It was the already eliminated side that would strike first. A superb ball sent through the air got a bit taken off of it from an Australian defender and came down in front of a sprinting Paolo Guerrero. As he got in the box, he stopped for support and crossed it to the right side where Andre Carrillo waited. Carrillo did put a fantastic first touch as the ball came down and put it past a diving Mathew Ryan.
The goal would be Peru’s first since the 1982 World Cup, making that 36 years between scores.
The only shot Australia was able to put on goal in the first half came as Tomas Rogic attempted to dribble past Peru’s defenders at the top of the box. He succeeded in getting a shot through but it was saved.
Second Half
Peru got off to a great start in the second half, putting in what would be the crushing blow to Australia. Christian Cueva managed to get in the box and attempted to find Paolo Guerrero by getting a pass through a defender’s legs. The ball was popped up, forcing Guerrero to make a volley. Despite not making solid contact, it was enough to get through and give Peru a 2-0 lead after 50 minutes.
Australia was able to get to shots off not long after. An Aaron Mooy cross found Mile Jedinak for the header, which forced Pedro Gallese to make a save in the 52nd minute.
Mooy would make another appearance, attempting a shot through a crowded box. The shot was blocked. Minutes later, Jedinak put another shot through but ended up forcing a corner kick. The flurry of attempted kept coming, one with a header from Tim Cahill, which missed to the left, and a blocked shot by Aziz Behich. Australia, after 60 minutes, could not get through.
The theme would continue, with Australia’s final chance to score came in the 83rd minute. Jedinak, given an opportunity off of a free kick, flew the ball over the crossbar in the 83rd minute.
Australia would be blanked and eliminated from the World Cup at the hands of Peru.
Denmark
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France, after winning their first two matches, had already received their spot in the knockout rounds. Denmark just needed a win or a draw to give through, or a loss paired with a loss by Australia. If Denmark were to win, they’d get the top spot in Group C.
First Half
The first half of this game showed a struggling France side. Although they controlled possession, the lack of creativity in the final third was apparent. However, France did play with an altered lineup as they had already staved off elimination.
Their first shot on goal came from Antoine Griezmann, who had his shot saved in the top right corner by Kasper Schmeichel in the 39th minute.
Griezmann made a break just before the end of the half, which resulted in a yellow card for Mathias Jørgensen for a hard, tactical foul. Despite having the opportunity for a free kick, the ref blew the whistle to end the half.
Second Half
The only shot on goal for Denmark came early in the second half. Christian Eriksen put a shot to the center of the box but Steve Mandanda was there to make the stop.
The next big attempts for France came by Nabil Fekir, who had come on for Griezmann in the 68th minute. It only took two minutes for Fekir to make an appearance, sending a left footed shot from outside of the box just outside.
He then came for goal again in the 82nd minute, which forced a save on the bottom left corner.
As the final whistle blew, Denmark has clinched their spot in the knockout rounds in the tournament’s first scoreless draw.
The final Group C standings saw France take the top spot with 7 points, followed by Denmark with 5 points. Peru received its 3 points and Australia finished with one, both teams seeing themselves out of the World Cup.