Peru has waited a long time for this World Cup. It hasn’t made earth’s greatest soccer tournament since 1982, and this agonizing hiatus is just one of the many reasons neutral fans may want to make room for La Blanquirroja in Russia. Its 2018 squad has a lot to offer, but, if the showing against Denmark on Saturday is any indication, Peru’s brand will revolve around pity until they start taking their chances. Denmark’s Yussaf Poulsen tripped Christian Cueva in the 44th minute and, after a review from the Video Assistant Referee, Peru was awarded a penalty. Cueva stepped up to take it himself, and his attempt is still collecting vapor from the altostratus clouds floating thousands of feet above Mordovia Arena. Advertisement Cueva's penalty was ... not close. pic.twitter.com/djigVYt9EE — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 16, 2018 Advertisement Advertisement For some penalty misses, you need to tip your cap to the goalkeeper. This wasn’t one of those misses. Even ESPN.com’s usually sober and terse play-by-play text slipped into the editorial voice for it. Advertisement Cueva was not alone in his misfortune. Peru created a good amount of chances, and the variety of ways in which they found how to duff them was almost admirable. Advertisement Peru miss ANOTHER chance to go in front! pic.twitter.com/IlySQhUUUG — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 16, 2018 When Peru’s players weren’t slipping on the turf, they had to contend with Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who was impenetrable. Advertisement Kasper Schmeichel is doing his best brick wall impression. pic.twitter.com/WJ1j93rqPH — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 16, 2018 Peru’s talismanic striker Paolo Guerrero was able to freeze Schmeichel with a clever backheel, but the ball trickled wide—slowly, of course, for maximum anguish. Advertisement Paolo Guerrero was so, so close to equalizing. pic.twitter.com/oSn1XwNKUY — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 16, 2018 Advertisement Denmark, meanwhile, took its chance through Poulson and never looked back. Advertisement Denmark go in front thanks to Poulsen! Peru will be kicking themselves for not taking advantage of their opportunities. pic.twitter.com/jjQYBDcDEm — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 16, 2018 Peru’s remaining group matches will be against France and Australia. After a 36-year wait to take a crack at the World Cup, Peru will need to change its luck if it wants to play past June.<doc-sep>Watch the highlights of goals and key plays as Denmark edges Peru in Group C play at the World Cup. Peru waited 36 years to return to the World Cup stage. But it will need to wait a few more days for its first World Cup goal of the 2018 competition. Despite waves of pressure and superb chances, Peru was denied by Denmark and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who rode a Yussuf Poulsen goal to a 1-0 victory in Saransk on Saturday. Peru captain and all-time leading scorer Paolo Guerrero, who had his doping ban frozen in time to participate in the World Cup, came off the bench and nearly scored on a couple of occassions, including an audacious back-heel attempt that missed by inches. Peru had an early penalty shout denied–and not checked by VAR–but continued to pressure from the outset. Its best early chance came five minutes in, when Luis Advincula fired a speculative blast from distance, though he narrowly missed the frame. Orlando City's Yoshimar Yotun followed in the eighth minute with a powerful shot from the edge of the area, but he hit it right into the gut of Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. Peru kept peppering from long distance, with Edison Flores following suit in the 11th minute with a chance that whizzed over the crossbar. Denmark found the going tough in the attacking end, but nearly broke through with a long-range bomb of its own. New Borussia Dortmund signing Thomas Delaney had a go from 30 yards in the 26th minute, but, like Flores's, it flew just over the bar. Peru finally had a chance from close range, with Jefferson Farfan on the receiving end of a through ball that put him on goal. Simon Kjaer's heroic slide tackle got enough of a touch on the chance to put it out for a corner kick and keep Peru off the board. Denamrk had a golden chance in the 39th minute, when it earned a foul just outside the Peru box. Eriksen, a free kick specialist, had his chance hit right into the wall, but the rebound fell right to injury substitute Lasse Schone, who fired a low, bouncing drive at goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. Just as halftime was set to hit, Peru was given an assist by VAR. Christian Cueva had his trail leg taken out in the box, and video replay confirmed as much, as a penalty was granted after a quick look. Cueva couldn't convert, though. He powered his penalty kick way over the bar, keeping the score 0-0. Peru was left to rue that miss at the hour mark, when Denmark scored the breakthrough goal. Eriksen finally found himself in space on the counter attack, spreading the ball left to Poulsen. The RB Leipzig forward beat Gallese by the near post, giving Denmark a 1-0 lead. On the other end, Schmeichel made a sensational save almost immediately after, pawing away a chance that would've drawn Peru level. Guerrero came off the bench after the goal and nearly made an immediate impact. He had a clear header form the center of the box in the 64th minute, but he directed it right at Schmeichel, who made the clean catch. After two Peru players whiffed on a chance by the left post, Poulsen played hero on the defensive end in the 71st minute. A dangerous cross toward that post from the right could have been headed in, except for the attacker tracking back and heading it to safety. Guerrero nearly struck again in the 80th minute, and in audacious fashion. With his back to the goal, he attempted to steer a back-heel shot on frame, only to miss the post by inches. Peru continued to pound Denmark with pressure, and it appeared Farfan had found the equalizer when at cut-back cross found him in the center of the box. But Schmeichel recovered, making a heroic kick save to take away the gaping net and keep Peru off the board. Here were the lineups for both sides: Here are the rosters for both teams: PERU Goalkeepers: Pedro Gallese (Veracruz), Carlos Caceda (Deportivo Municipal), Jose Carvallo (UTC) Defenders: Aldo Corzo (Universitario), Luis Advincula (Lobos Buap), Christian Ramos (Veracruz), Miguel Araujo (Alianza Lima), Alberto Rodriguez (Atletico Junior), Anderson Santamaria (Puebla), Miguel Trauco (Flamengo), Nilson Loyola (Melgar) Midfielders: Renato Tapia (Feyenoord), Pedro Aquino (Lobos Buap), Yoshimar Yotun (Orlando City), Paolo Hurtado (Vitoria Guimaraes), Christian Cueva (Sao Paulo), Edison Flores (Aalborg), Andy Polo (Portland Timbers), Wilder Cartagena (Veracruz) Forwards: Andre Carrillo (Watford), Raul Ruidiaz (Morelia), Jefferson Farfan (Lokomotiv Moscow), Paolo Guerrero (Flamengo) Manager: Ricardo Gareca DENMARK Goalkeepers: Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester), Jonas Lossl (Huddersfield), Frederik Ronow (Brondby) Defenders: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea), Simon Kjaer (Sevilla), Mathias Jorgensen (Huddersfield), Jannik Vestergaard (Borussia Monchengladbach), Henrik Dalsgaard (Brentford), Jens Stryger (Udinese), Jonas Knudsen (Ipswich) Midfielders: Christian Eriksen (Tottenham), Lasse Schone (Ajax), Lukas Lerager (Bordeaux), Michael Krohn-Dehli (Deportivo La Coruna), William Kvist (FC Copenhagen), Thomas Delaney (Werder Bremen) Forwards: Andreas Cornelius (Atalanta), Kasper Dolberg (Ajax), Martin Braithwaite (Bordeaux), Nicolai Jorgensen (Feyenoord), Pione Sisto (Celta Vigo), Viktor Fischer (FC Copenhagen), Yussuf Poulsen (RB Leipzig) Manager: Age Hareide<doc-sep>Peru came out looking like it wanted to make up for those 36 years with an aggressive offense. And it looked like it would be rewarded when it drew a penalty late in the first half. The penalty was not immediately called, but signaled after a quick video review. Christian Cueva stepped up, but hit as bad of a penalty shot as you will see, sending the ball far over the goal. Denmark broke through in the 60th minute. The team’s star, Christian Eriksen, had something of a quiet game, but delivered the key assist, and Yussuf Poulsen drove it home.<doc-sep>
Yussuf Poulsen made up for conceding a penalty by scoring the decisive goal for Denmark in their Group C victory over Peru at the Mordovia Arena. Christian Cueva had ballooned the penalty – awarded after VAR consultation – over the bar just before half-time in the most glaring of several misses from the Latin American side, who were back in the World Cup finals after a gap of 36 years. Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Christian Eriksen had an otherwise quiet outing but provided the pivotal moment when he threaded an immaculate pass through the defence for Poulsen to beat advancing goalkeeper Pedro Gallese in the 59th minute. With France firm favourites to top the group and having picked up their first points with a 2-1 win over Australia earlier, both Peru and Denmark were desperate for victory to boost their chances of advancing to the next stage. Both teams arrived in Saransk with an identical 15-match unbeaten run and it appeared to be a matter of time before a bright-looking Peru, egged on by massive support at the stadium, would score. By contrast, Denmark started by playing long balls directed at their wingers to take advantage of their superior height, but mostly ended up playing catch-up to Peru’s slick short passing game for the opening half hour. Peru, who left out all-time top-scorer Paolo Guerrero from their starting line-up, were awarded a penalty after consultation with the video assistant referee for Poulsen’s foul. Yet Cueva struck an awful penalty, leaving the red-and-white clad Peru fans distraught. Guerrero came on after the hour mark and almost scored an equaliser but his header flew straight into the hands of goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. The marksman also came close when his audacious backheel trickled past a helpless Schmeichel and the post as Peru continued to be denied an equaliser. Match details Peru: Gallese (Veracruz); Advincula (Tigres), Rodriguez (Atletico Junior), Ramos (Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz), Trauco (Flamengo), Tapia (Feyenoord), Yotun (Orlando City), Carrillo (Benfica), Cueva (Sao Paulo), Flores (Aalborg), Farfan (Lokomotiv Moscow). Booked: Tapia. Subs: Guerrero (Flamengo, for Flores 62), Ruidiaz (Morella, for Ruidiaz 85), Aquino (Leon, for Tapia 87). Denmark: Schmeichel (Leicester); Dalsgaard (Brentford), Kjaer (Sevilla), Christensen (Chelsea), Larsen (Udinese), Kvist (Copenhagen), Eriksen (Tottenham), Delaney (Werder Bremen), Poulsen (RB Leipzig), N Jorgensen (Feyenoord), Sisto (Celta Vigo). Booked: Delaney, Poulsen. Subs: Braithwaite (Middlesbrough, for Sisto 67), Schone (Ajax, for Kvist 36), Mathias Zanka Jorgensen (Feyenoord, for Christensen 81). Referee: Bakary Gassama (Gambia).