Schmeichel, Pulsen lift Denmark to 1-0 win over Peru
SARANSK, Russia (AP) — Whether Kasper Schmeichel was making an acrobatic save or just getting lucky, it was his night.
In a World Cup debut reminiscent of the way his father, Peter, played for Denmark and Manchester United, Schmeichel made Yussuf Poulsen's opportunistic second-half goal stand up in a 1-0 victory over Peru on Saturday at the World Cup.
"It's good to have a good goalkeeper, let me put it that way," Denmark coach Age Hareide said. "He is acrobatic and a very quick goalkeeper.
"He had a fantastic performance and we needed it. You have to acknowledge the performance of Kasper today."
Poulsen squeezed his goal between charging Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and the left post in the 59th minute after collecting an angled pass from midfielder Christian Eriksen.
The victory gave Denmark a crucial advantage in Group C, in which France defeated Australia 2-1 earlier in the day.
Appearing at the World Cup for the first time in 36 years, Peru had overwhelming fan support in the Mordovia Arena and the bulk of scoring chances, including a late first-half penalty shot that Christian Cueva sent sailing over the crossbar. Minutes later, he walked toward the locker room looking disgusted while teammates tried to console him, taking turns putting their arms around his shoulders.
"At halftime we told him he had to keep playing strong," Peru coach Ricardo Gareca said. "Of course, people make mistakes and in all matches there are mistakes . ... He has the character to turn things around."
The penalty was awarded after Gambian referee Bakary Gassama used the video assistant referee system to decide Poulsen had tripped Cueva in the penalty area.
Hareide didn't seem too bothered by it.
"I'm sure it was the correct decision. It was fine," he said. "It does make life easier for the referee."
In any event, Poulsen's foul didn't harm Denmark on the scoreboard, and he wound up being named man of the match after his goal and timely defensive play helped secure a victory against an aggressive and relentless Peru squad. His clearing header in the box on a cross over Schmeichel's head helped the keeper recover and leap to grab the ball as it came down with Peru players looking to pounce.
"This was a very emotional game for me, especially because I made the penalty," Poulsen said. "It seemed I was going to be the villain here. But at the end I scored and became a hero. That's football. I was also a bit lucky."
The stay of Peru and its tens of thousands of fans in Russia could be a short one if they don't capitalize on scoring chances.
"The result does not really reflect what happened on the pitch. I'm very happy to see that my players really showed their commitment," Gareca said. "I don't think Peru, our team, deserved to lose, based on what I saw on the pitch."
Gareca decided to use 34-year-old striker Paolo Guerrero as a substitute, delaying his much-anticipated first World Cup appearance until about 30 minutes remained.
Guerrero nearly missed the World Cup because of a doping ban that was lifted by a Swiss judge just before the World Cup. But his time away from the national team didn't seem to affect his form.