Ranking every World Cup Team Performance after the First Round of Group Games

#18 Denmark

The Nordic giants were fortunate to escape with a victory against Peru in the Mordovia Arena in their Group C encounter. They struggled to match the quickness and flair of their South American opponents but held on for a victory nonetheless.

The Danish side depends on Christian Eriksen for both goals and creativity. He was largely underwhelming in this game but delivered when it mattered. Pione Sisto found Eriksen in a huge pocket of space in between the Peruvian midfield and defence. The Tottenham midfielder then found Yussuf Poulsen with a typical perfectly weighted pass. Poulsen slotted home the winner against the run of play and the Danish fans were delighted with this slick counter.

The Danish full backs really struggled to contain the wide players of Peru. The loss of William Kvist to a rib injury was costly as well because his experience would have helped a lot in the later stages of the game for Denmark. Instead, the Danish midfielders were ball watchers throughout the game as the Peruvians time and again were able to find their way around the flanks.

There were some positives for Denmark in this fortunate victory. The central defence partnership of Kjaer and Christensen was new but very solid. Kasper Schmeichel was his usual brilliant self after a jittery end to his season with Leicester City. Yussuf Poulsen was impressive in both his defensive and attacking duties. Denmark will certainly feel that they won this game despite being far from their best. There is much more to come from Denmark and Eriksen, in particular, for sure.

The

match winning

goal by Yussuf Poulsen was against the run of play

#17 Serbia

Aleksandr Kolarov's excellent free-kick gave Serbia a well-deserved victory against Costa Rica. The Serbian captain will be proud of his strike against one of the best keepers in the world, Keylor Navas

The Serbians entered the tournament with the tallest squad in the tournament. They tried to take advantage of this, especially during set pieces. But the set-piece delivery on many occasions was not very good. The Serbians relied on their talented midfielders, featuring one of Europe's brightest talents Sergej Milinkovic Savic, to find a way past the Costa Rican wall of defenders. They were left frustrated by the compactness of the Costa Ricans and struggled to create any open chances

A free kick in the second half changed the game. Aleksandr Kolarov unleashed a precise free kick into the net beyond the flailing arms of Keylor Navas. That was the only noteworthy moment for Serbia but it was all that mattered. Costa Rica did not threaten as the Serbian defence closed shop and were very aware of their positioning.

Serbia will need more from their attackers. Dusan Tadic and Adem Ljajic are not players who like to play wide. Tadic, in particular, likes to be a playmaker outside the area. This puts pressure on an ageing Ivanovic to charge forward and provide the width for Serbia. He did well in this game but he will need to be careful against the left sided players of both Brazil and Switzerland in their remaining fixtures. Aleksandr Mitrovic is a very "hot and cold" striker. He was "cold" today and needs to be a bit more assured in his first touch and finishing.

Serbian captain Kolarov scored a

marvelous

match winning

free

kick