Denmark edged home 1-0 in their World Cup opener against Peru, but it was far from an explosive performance from Danish Dynamite – with goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel their hero.
Yussef Poulsen proved their matchwinner when he put away Christian Eriksen‘s pass in their one true moment of quality.
Here we analyse the performance of the Danish players.
DENMARK (4-2-3-1)
Kasper Schmeichel – 9:
A performance dad Peter would have been proud of. Clawed Carillo’s goalbound effort away from the bottom corner and denied Farfan late on. Faultless.
Henrik Dalsgaard – 6:
Peru probed constantly and the Brentford man formed a key part of a diligent Danish defensive effort.
Simon Kjaer – 7:
Did brilliantly to block Farfan’s fierce strike that was surely heading in and generally marshalled the backline brilliantly.
Andreas Christensen – 7:
Kept the lively Jefferson Farfan in check, continuing on from an impressive debut season at club level.
Jens Larsen – 6:
Was taunted and tested throughout by the tireless Andre Carillo, but never shirked his responsibilities.
William Kvist – 5:
Worryingly collided with Farfan and was stretchered off midway through the first half. Appeared to catch a knee in the ribs.
Thomas Delaney – 6:
Prowled the centre of the field to allow his flair players ahead of him to try and work their magic.
Yussuf Poulsen – 8:
Composed finish from the RB Leipzig striker, who sent Denmark flying to this victory. A crucial defensive header kept lead intact.
Christian Eriksen – 7:
Though he struggled to assert his dominance initially, his key pass put Poulsen in to put the Danes ahead.
Pione Sisto – 6:
The best part of the opening goal was the Uganda-born flyer’s sumptuous outside of the right boot pass to send Eriksen into space.
Nicolai Jorgensen – 5:
The focal point for his side, but was often isolated and didn’t do enough to keep the ball when he did see it.
SUBS:
Lasse Schone – 6:
Replaced the injured Kvist and offered strength and solidity to his side.
Martin Braithwaite – 6:
Came on and played his part in breaking up attacks and contributing going forward.
Mathias Jorgensen N/A:
A late replacement for Christensen, little time to make an impact.
