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2018 World Cup Group Stage Rundown: Group C

A Brief Overview of Group C

By Alberto HuichapaPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
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Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe celebrate Mbappe’s goal, the lone goal of the victory over Peru. (Image via Hindustan Times)

Group C gave us the first memorable use of Video Assistant Referee, or VAR.

Antoine Griezmann’s penalty was denied, only for VAR to come into use and award France the lead against Australia, a game in which the French would go on to unconvincingly win 2-1.

The expectations were high for Les Bleus. The mad amount of talent within the squad—Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Paul Pogba, and N’Golo Kante—made them favorites to be the Group C winners.

And they did.

After winning their opening match against Australia and fortunately beating Peru 1-0 with an Mbappe goal, Les Bleus secured their spot for the Round of 16. Mbappe’s goal put him in the French history books as the youngest player to score for France at an international tournament, aged just 19-years-old.

Their match against Denmark, a 0-0 draw, was quite the bore and easily one of the more forgettable matchups in 2018. It also ended the continuing record of games without a goalless draw in a World Cup, which is now 37 games.

Denmark celebrate qualification into the Round of 16 with fans after their 0-0 draw against France. (Image via Loop)

A Denmark led by Tottenham Hotspur’s attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen and Leicester City’s goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel were set out to challenge France for the top spot in Group C.

And they were on track, after Yussuf Poulsen scored the decisive goal in the 59th minute against Peru in a 1-0 win.

The game could have ended differently for Denmark and Poulsen. Earlier in the match, VAR overturned a denied penalty call for Peru after Poulsen knocked down Christian Cueva.

Unfortunately for Peru, Cueva blew his spot-kick and left the match in tears.

Their following matches against Australia and France ended in draws, 1-1 and 0-0 respectively. Luckily, it was enough to propel them into second place and advance to the knockout stages.

Reactions from the Peruvian players following their 1-0 loss against France. (Image via Fox Sports)

Their first appearance back at the World Cup since Spain 1982 didn’t go as hoped for by the Peruvians. Yet, their tournament was not a bad one.

Led by Paolo Guerrero, who almost missed the World Cup due to a doping incident, Peru held Denmark for a majority of the game, taking more shots and creating chances. They were even awarded a penalty thanks to VAR.

Sadly, the penalty was missed and Denmark were able to finish on one of their attempts on goal.

Peru played even better against the French national team. They held more possession of the ball and created more chances than in the previous game.

However, France’s Mbappe scored the lone goal of the match, eliminating Peru from the tournament.

All Peru could hope for in their final match against Australia was a win to go home with heads held high.

18 minutes into the match, Peru made their mark in the tournament. An assist from Guerrero to Andre Carrillo, who volleyed the ball from the right far side of the box, scored Peru’s first goal at 2018 World Cup.

Emotions ran high for the Peru fans following the goal and they only intensified after the captain himself scored Peru’s second goal, as they ended any qualification hopes for Australia with a 2-0 victory.

It may not be the World Cup that was wanted for Peru but it was an impressive one.

The Socceroos react to Peru’s second goal, in their 2-0 defeat to Peru. (Image via Fox Sports)

For the third consecutive World Cup, the Australians fail to make it out of the group stage. It is also the second consecutive time that they are placed at the bottom of their group.

The team from The Land Down Under were appearing to be a strong team worthy enough to exit the group stage, after their performance against France, even if they lost 2-1.

Impressive displays from Mark Milligan, Tom Rogic, Aaron Mooy, Mile Jedinak, and Daniel Arzani—the youngest player to play for Australia at the World Cup as well as the youngest player overall at the 2018 World Cup—held Denmark to a 1-1 draw.

Australia desperately needed a win against Peru and France to beat the Danish to have any chance of qualification.

That’s where the Australian’s story at the 2018 World Cup. The Peruvians, who had played impressively their last two games but failed to get a result, outplayed and outclassed the Socceroos. Even if Australia had won their match, Denmark managed to draw with France.

They’re heading home now but the future is bright for Australia, with new, young, and emerging talent coming out for Australia. Maybe they can qualify for 2022 and end the group stage exit run.

France will play Argentina on Saturday, June 30 at 9 AM, with Messi desperately trying to win a World Cup.

Denmark will face off with Croatia on Sunday, July 1 at 1 PM

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