After each matchday of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Sportsnet.ca’s World Cup Daily blog will recap the day’s events, and look ahead to the next day’s slate of games.
Here’s what happened on Thursday, in case you missed it…
THE RESULTS
Denmark 1, Australia 1 in Samara: Match report || match stats
France 1, Peru 0 in Yekaterinburg: Match report || match stats
Argentina 0, Croatia 3 in Nizhny: Match report || match stats
MAIN TALKING POINTS
Thunder from Down Under
Australia continues to punch well above its weight class in Russia, earning a credible 1-1 draw against a stylish Denmark side to keep alive their hopes of progressing to the knockout round.
When classy Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen scored a goal-of-the-tournament candidate early in the contest, it appeared as though it was going to be a long day for the Socceroos. But like they did in their fantastic effort in a 2-1 loss to France last week, Australia dug in and battled back. They were rewarded for their hard work and constant drafting just before halftime when they were given a penalty by the Video Assistant Referee. Mile Jedinak converted from the spot, and the Aussies bossed the game from that point onward.
This was a second consecutive gritty performance by Australia, who instead of being overawed by their European opponents (as most predicted) played them extremely close. Australian coach Bert van Marwijk expressed his disappointment afterwards, feeling his side did enough to win. But he can take comfort from another remarkable effort from his players going into their final must-win game of the group stage against an already-eliminated Peru.
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France’s unheralded heroes come through
Kylian Mbappe will garner the majority of the headlines, as the 19-year-old scored the winning goal that sent France through to the next round. He also became his country’s youngest-ever goal scorer at the World Cup. The Paris Saint-Germain star rightly deserves the attention – he was marvelous on Thursday, his quick feet and blinding speed, as well as his deft touch when in possession, giving Peru all sorts of problems.
Mbappe’s contributions were immense, but a quartet of players who routinely fly under the radar were just as important for France. Forward Olivier Giroud started at the expense of Ousmane Dembélé, and the Chelsea man provided Les Bleus a much-needed physical presence up front, providing the perfect foil for Antoine Griezmann. Midfield bulwark N’Golo Kante put in a masterclass midfield performance, effectively shutting down Christian Cueva, one of Peru’s most dangerous attacking players. Defender Samuel Umtiti kept Peru forward Paolo Guerrero in his pocket.
This was an improved performance from the French, who laboured to a 2-1 win over Australia in their opening match. It was a balanced effort, with the aforementioned foursome giving Les Bleus some added hope of being able to go on a lengthy run in this competition.
Argentina is a mess
Where to begin with Argentina? With World Cup hero and national icon Diego Maradona watching from the stands, the Argentines put in their worst performance in recent memory, suffering a humiliating loss at the hands of Croatia. The 3-0 scoreline actually flattered the South Americans, who’ve been dreadful in this competition – Thursday’s loss came on the heels of a 1-1 draw with Iceland, and although Argentina isn’t officially eliminated, their hopes of advancing to the knockout round are hanging by the barest of threads.
There are so many issues with this Argentine team, but it starts at the top with manager Jorge Sampaoli, who continues to chop and change his starting line-up, and doesn’t appear to know what his best starting 11 is, even after all this time. There is no style of play, no system, team identity – other than 10 players trying to work the ball to Messi, and pray that he can conjure some magic. How a team with a wealth of attacking options (Messi, Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, and Paulo Dybala) is having such trouble breaking down opponents at this World Cup should be a source of embarrassment for Sampaoli.
Argentina’s lack of a top-rated goalkeeper and top-class defenders came back to haunt them on Thursday. Croatia feasting on a comical error by Willy Caballero to open the scoring, and capitalized on slack and uncommitted defending from Argentina’s rearguard. The issues at the back, combined with Aguero and Messi combining for a meagre 27 touches on the ball through the opening half, cruelly exposed Argentina for what they are at this World Cup: A pretender trying to disguise itself as a contender.
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BEST GAME
France and Peru put on a show in Yekaterinburg, two vibrant sides committed to playing attacking football in front of an appreciative crowd. There was tension right until the end as the South Americans valiantly fought for the equalizing goal that would have kept them in the World Cup. But Les Bleus managed to hold on to send the Peruvians home.
BEST GOAL
In the 80th minute, an Argentina turnover eventually led the ball to fall to the feet of Luka Modric near the top of the box. The Croatian creator created enough space for himself with Nicolás Otamendi trying to close him down and unleashed a curling shot that sailed into the upper-right corner.
BEST SAVE
In the fifth minute, a raking ball by Danijel Subasic was flicked on by teammate Ivan Rakitic, which released Ivan Perisic down the left wing. Perisic cut in towards the box and fired a low shot aimed for the far corner that Argentina goalkeeper Willy Caballero just managed to get a hand on and tip out for a corner kick.
BEST MOMENT
Hearing the sound of 40,000 Peruvian fans singing and chanting in unison was pretty remarkable. Peru’s passionate supporters turned the Yekaterinburg Arena into a cauldron of noise.
THE GAME WITHIN THE GAME
Olivier Giroud isn’t the flashiest player in the world. But his introduction into the starting 11 was the difference for France. The Chelsea man was tireless in his work rate on the offensive and defensive end and used his trademark holdup play to set up more scoring chances for his teammates than anyone else.
Olivier Giroud's #WorldCup game by numbers vs. Peru:
35 touches
22 passes
5 aerial duels won
3 chances created
2 tackles won
1 clearance
1 take-on completed
1 shotCreated more chances than any other player on the pitch. pic.twitter.com/DqZGlU9djv
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 21, 2018
BEST TWEET
All of the 'Roos pic.twitter.com/n7SXeiYDGW
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 21, 2018
BEST QUOTE
“It’s more just composing and staying concentrated, regardless of the situation, regardless of where you’re standing and regardless of what’s going on around you.” – Australia’s Mile Jedinak, who has converted 16 straight penalties.
SIX PACK OF STATS
• Australia has kept just one clean sheet in their 15 World Cup finals, a 0-0 draw with Chile in 1974.
• Mile Jedinak’s penalty ended a run of 571 minutes without conceding a goal in international play for Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
• At 19 years and six months, Kylian Mbappe is the youngest France player to ever score at the World Cup.
• France has recorded seven consecutive clean sheets vs. South American opponents at the World Cup, last conceding vs. Brazil in 1986.
• This was Argentina’s heaviest loss in the group stage of the World Cup since losing 6-1 to Czechoslovakia in 1958.
• Croatia has won back-to-back games at the World Cup for the first time since 1998 when it reached the semifinals in its tournament debut.
Stats courtesy of Opta
THREE STARS
1) Ivan Rakitic, Croatia: Scored the final goal that completed the rout of Argentina. More important, he shadowed Lionel Messi for most of the game, limiting his Barcelona teammate’s influence.
2) Kylian Mbappé, France: Was lively in attack, using his pace and acceleration to give Peru plenty of fits. Scored the lone goal to become France’s youngster ever scorer at the World Cup.
3) Aaron Mooy, Australia: A quietly effective game for the Australian midfielder at both ends of the field. Came close to scoring in the second half.
LOOKING AHEAD TO FRIDAY
Group E: Brazil vs. Costa Rica in Saint Petersburg (8:00 a.m. ET) – Neymar has struggled with an ankle issue this week in training, but he should be ready to go. It’ll be interesting to see if Brazil coach Tite sticks with Man City forward Gabriel Jesus, who struggled in the 1-1 draw with Switzerland, or go with Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino.
Group D: Nigeria vs. Iceland in Volgograd (11:00 a.m. ET) – It’s a must win for Nigeria, who is coming off a loss to Croatia in its opener. With this in mind, look for Jon Obi Mikel, Nigeria’s captain, to play a more offensive midfield position (instead of his usual defensive role) as the Super Eagles need goals.
Group E: Serbia vs. Switzerland in Kaliningrad (2:00 p.m. ET) – Depending on how the earlier Group E finishes, Serbia could book its spot in the next round with a win against the Swiss. Striker Aleksandar Mitrovic scored six goals in the World Cup qualifiers but couldn’t find the target against Costa Rica, so he needs to get going for the Serbs.
ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB
Alexander Shea of These Football Times writes about how the culturally diverse French team competing in Russia can bring the country together, just like the 1998 World Cup winning side:
“France sees in the class of 2018 the potential for another black, blanc et beur generation. Stride along the Sentier Métropolitain or its associated ground-level walking path, the Voyage Métropolitain, and you soon find yourself immersed in the new footballing dreams of a nation. Painted murals, oversized posters and swirling graffiti depicting France’s current crop of culturally diverse footballing stars salute you along your way.”
