Denmark wear down Peru in Group C showdown
South Americans have themselves to blame after wasting penalty
Denmark defeated Peru 1-0 in a Group C match of the Fifa World Cup at the Mordovia Arena here yesterday.
Yousuf Poulsen scored the winner for Denmark in the 59th minute off a pass from Christian Eriksen.
Christian Cueva missed a penalty for Peru just before halftime. This is Peru’s first World Cup appearance since 1982. Denmark had failed to qualify for the 2014 edition in Brazil.
The Peruvians, playing a 4-23-1 formation, launched fast attacks from the very beginning, making attempts at the goal three times within the first nine minutes. But the Danish defence weathered the storm.
In the fifth minute, Peru’s Luis Advincula shot wide after meeting a pass from teammate Renato Tapia. Just three minutes later, Yoshimar Yotun took a shot but Danish stopper Kasper Schmeichel was up to the challenge. A minute later, another Peruvian attack was brought to nought by Schmeichel.
The best chance for Peru perhaps came in the last minute of the first half, as Christian Cueva was awarded a penalty kick after video assistant referee (VAR) technology showed that he was fouled by Denmark’s Yousuf Yurary. But Cueva’s right-foot shot sailed over the bar.
The Danes struck the only goal of the game off a counter when Poulsen latched on to a long ball and swooped into the penalty box before firing past Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. ■