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Denmark and Australia played out a 1-1 draw at the Cosmos Arena in their second 2018 FIFA World Cup game. Seven minutes was all the Danish needed to open the scoring, with Christian Eriksen scoring his first goal of the tournament to put his team in front.
Australia found a fortunate break in the final ten minutes of the first half as VAR reversed the referee's on-field call and awarded the Socceroos a penalty which was slotted home by captain Mile Jedinak.
The second half did not produce much action as both teams had to be content and settle for a draw. The result means that Denmark stays in second place but move up to four points, two behind France, while Australia earned their first points of the World Cup and remain in third place in Group C.
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On that note, here is a look at the 2 things that went wrong for Denmark:
#3 VAR sparks Controversy
The Video Assistant Referee has been busy during the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The technology was brought into action once again for an on-field penalty claim made by the Australian team when a cross from the right wing was met by a leaping Mathew Leckie and his header met the flailing arms of Yussuf Poulsen.
The referee, viewed the replay in the monitor and in consultation with the VAR team awarded Australia the penalty. It was a questionable call by the officials as it was an unintentional handball by Poulsen and also, the fact that it happened in a very narrow space.
Usually, when the ball is handled in close range, the decision tends to go in the favour of the defending team as referees consider the minimum distance rule and also understand that the player did not have sufficient time to pull out from the challenge.
However, this time the VAR might have committed their first error of the tournament that ended up hurting Denmark as Mile Jedinak tucked away the spot kick to equalize for Australia.
Meanwhile, Yussuf Poulsen was the culprit once again as he conceded a penalty for the second straight game and received his second yellow card of the World Cup, and will have to sit out the next game against France due to suspension.
#2 Lack of Support from the Wide Players
Denmark's wingers Pione Sisto and Yussuf Poulsen had a disappointing outing against Australia. The duo displayed only brief moments of any real attacking threat down the wings and were basically ineffective for the majority of the game.
Poulsen had a disastrous game, first conceding the penalty that led to him receiving a yellow card and a suspension for the next game. Later, in the second half, he was on the receiving end of a foul by the Aussies in the opposition box but his appeals for a penalty were refused by the referee.
The Leipzig man's game was only going downhill as prior instances seemed to have affected his morale. Yussuf Poulsen failed to deliver any successful crosses or long balls into the box, did not have a single attempt at goal and was dispossessed twice before he exited the game in the 58th minute.
On the contrary, Sisto did take it upon himself and created opportunities on his own as he notched up a total of three attempts at goal. The 23 year old did ignite some spark into the game with his skillfulness but a lack of output and service hurt the Danish team as they couldn't find a second goal.
Inconsistency has evidently affected Pione Sisto both for club and country. If Denmark relies highly upon someone after Christian Eriksen on the attacking end, it is Sisto as he can produce that moment of magic and a big performance will be needed from him against France in order to guarantee qualification to the Round of 16.
Here's a look at the 1 important thing that went right for the Danish:
#1 Defensive Solidarity Rescues Denmark
Following Mile Jedinak's equalizer, Australia became more threatening in the final third of the pitch in their quest to extend the lead. This resulted in the Denmark defence becoming very busy in the second half and they stepped up to the occasion.
The back four was very organized as Andreas Christensen and captain Simon Kjaer excelled in their leadership. The central defensive pairing were more than ready to put their body on the line for last-ditch challenges and combined for 12 total clearances.
Full-backs Henrik Dalsgaard and Jens Stryger Larsen were very efficient in running back and helping out in defence. The duo showed their in-air capabilities as they won a total of six aerial duels and similarly, combined for seven successful tackles.
However, the hero proved to be Kasper Schmeichel, who was on the receiving end of an Australian onslaught in the final 15 minutes. The Leicester goalkeeper made a total of six saves in the game but denied Daniel Arzani and Mathew Leckie in the latter stages to ensure that the Danish came away with a point.
