Peru 0 Denmark 1: Yussuf Poulsen completes smash and grab as Peru miss host of chances to snatch vital points
Peru were looking for their first World Cup win since 1978 and were handed a golden opportunity from the spot which was missed
CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN’S inch-perfect pass paved the way for a crucial Denmark win - after VAR once again played a central role in Russia.
The Tottenham schemer played through Yussuf Poulsen who coolly slotted home on the hour.
But that followed Peru’s Christian Cueva ballooning his video replay-assisted penalty over the bar just before the break.
It followed a VAR-dominated contest between France and Australia, Group C's other fixture earlier in the day.
Denmark boss Age Hareide had vowed to go “all in” for this game, knowing that it could be the key to qualification alongside group favourites France.
That was made harder by the fact that the match was played under effectively Peruvian home advantage, with thousands of white shirts with red sashes filling the Mordovia Arena.
This was Peru’s first World Cup for 36 years and more than 50,000 had made the long journey over from South America.
Some fans were so desperate to see their nation play that stories emerged of people selling their cars and taking voluntary redundancy to pay for the trip.
And the travelling Peruvian army had the stadium shaking - literally - as they stamped their feet and sang their hearts out long before kick-off and throughout the match.
Despite the amazing atmosphere, the first half lacked incident until the final few minutes which were a flurry of drama.
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Cueva was tripped in the box by Poulsen’s trailing leg yet ref Bakary Gassama did not see it and play continued.
The Gambia official did make amends minutes later though as he consulted his touchline TV and eventually awarded the spot-kick.
It was an excellent use of the VAR system but unfortunately what followed was anything but.
Cueva stepped up to take it but his run-up was enormous, pausing halfway through his long journey to the ball before ballooning it horribly over like a rugby conversion.
The shellshocked midfielder buried his head in his shirt while walking off at half-time, possibly in tears as his team-mates tried to console him and the fans chanted his name.
Peru have become known for their impressive counter-attacks but ironically it was through a counter-attack that Denmark netted the winner.
Eriksen had been quiet but suddenly burst into life when finding some space, driving forward from the centre circle and flicking it through for Poulsen to fire around keeper Pedro Gallese.
So few Danes were inside the stadium - the Scandinavians selling just 645 tickets - that their fans’ celebrations were barely audible.
Moments later Peru threw on talisman Paolo Guerrero, who had been benched despite all the palava of getting him to Russia.
The ‘Warrior’ - as his last name translates to - looked set to miss the tournament when he was banned in October for 14 months for testing positive for cocaine metabolites - he claims from unwittingly drinking tea tainted with coca leaf residue.
The captains of the other Group C nations, France, Denmark and Australia, all wrote to Fifa to express support for lifting Guerrero’s suspension.
And eventually it was frozen for this summer’s feast of football to the joy of millions back in Peru who worship their all-time leading scorer like an Inca god.
Guerrero almost had a moment to write himself further into Peruvian folklore when he backheeled Cueva’s cut-back towards goal - but the ball drifted agonisingly wide.
Jefferson Farfan, of Russian champions Lokomotiv Moscow, had started in Guerrero’s place.
The jet-heeled forward almost levelled with seven minutes to go but saw an effort repelled by Kasper Schmeichel as Eriksen and Denmark held firm for a massive victory.
World Cup Group C standings
1. France - 3 pts
2. Denmark - 3pts
3. Australia - 0pts
4. Peru - 0pts