Australia 1 - Denmark 0
Leckie 60'
The best option for this fixture (and indeed any fixture) was for Australia to go out and win it. In winning the match, the results of the France v Tunisia match would be irrelevant. For Denmark, their only option for this fixture was to go out and win it. Even then, they would have to hope that Tunisia won and that they could put a sufficient number of goals past Australia, so that they would have the better goal difference. Of that match, France had already won the luxury of losing that match and elected to play an eleven who hadn't had any game time at all; which also meant that Tunisia's only option for their fixture was to go out and win it.
Given the multi-way shooting match with guns drawn, both matches started off with an intense sense of nervousness and Australia doubled-down on this by being shocked into having to defend really quickly from the outset. In just the third minute of the match, McGree found himself in space and in front of goal with an open shot but the excellence of Kaspar Schmeichel soon shut him down. When Denmark regrouped on the counter attack, Behich brought down Eriksen and also got a yellow card and gave away a free kick in a dangerous area in the process. The shot by Braithwaite was high, wide and ugly, and was so far off-target that it is now considered to be a violation of the 1959 Outer Space Treaty.
It was this kind of attack that Australia repeatedly weathered time and time again for the first half. Thirteen minutes in, and Braithwaite dragged three players with him on the edge of the 18 yard box, before passing it off to Scott-Olsen who took a left footed shot that would have beaten Matt Ryan, had it not hit the deck and spun violently away from the goal.
The third scare of the first half came at 41 minutes, when off of a corner Braithwaite in playing the pest, took a worm burner of a shot that passes underneath the Australian defence and it was only the gloves of Matt Ryan which tipped the ball outwards for another corner. That corner kick like so many of the match, was sent long over the far post and into nothingness. Going scoreless in the first half was probably the best result that Australia could have hoped for. It meant that the game was still winnable and that would be important. Had Denmark scored in that first half, then I am sure that Australia would not have been able to break them apart twice.
The fourth scare of the match happened miles away when Tunisia went 1-0 against France. There were audible gasps of exasperation in this match as everyone suddenly realised that unless they won, this would be a dead rubber by default. I do not know if this news reached the pitch, for with 30 seconds of that news, Matt Leckie broke away from the Danish defence who were just shy of half-way and being the last man, he did break apart the score with only having Kaspar Schmeichel to beat.
Denmark immediately made three substitutes; knowing that they had to do something or else just back out of the campaign in a dribbling heap and Australia followed suit, knowing that they had to defend their 1-0 win.
Most of the rest of this match saw Denmark playing in front of the Australian back four but being unable to break through and on the rare occasions where they did get through, the Australian defence was apt to slide across and plug the holes which were immediately found. Thus, what was only 33 minutes, simultaneously dragged on for an eternity and yet at the same time, spun faster than a ballerina on a compact disc which had fallen beyond the event horizon of a black hole.
A fifth scare happened deep into extra time when Braithwaite was able to convince the referee that he had been brought down by Aaron Mooy as the last man and in the penalty area, but the linesman holding his flag aloft had correctly seen that Braithwaite was already offside and no such contact had been made at all. A goal kick, a counter attack, another corner and a subsequent corner kcik which again flew long over the far post and into nothingness, was what the six minutes had to deliver and the final whistle and subsequent news that France had in fact overcome the deficit and then beaten Tunisia, meant that the group ended up:
7 France
6 Australia
4 Tunisia
1 Denmark
...proving again that 4 points isn't necessarily enough to a team to escape the group.
What can we take away from this?
Firstly, that France is very possible to be taken apart and scored against.
Secondly, that all the teams in this group played well, even though the final table doesn't really demonstrate this. Australia will now go on to play Argentina in the Round of 16 (because Argentina have played both really well and really gumby this tournament.
Thirdly, that the Australian defence which was made to look foolish by a French side that ripped them apart by scoring four times, has now held together and let nothing through for more than three hours of football. That's really impressive.
Fourthly, that Australia which had a problem by repeatedly being unable to score against lesser opposition in the qualification stages, has now scored in three consecutive matches in the World Cup proper.
Fifthly, that winning 2/3rds of the time, is actually surprisingly hard to do. If this was the English premier league, that would equate to 25 wins and 13 losses, and 75 points; which might be enough to win the league in some years and will put you into the Champions League on every occasion.
Sixthly, that Australia should feel that it has more than a fighting chance against Argentina. France ran rampant on the night but Australia never looked silly. Tunisia were organised but Australia's organisation at the back was their equal. Denmark had to play with desperation and Australia looked composed. Argentina is probably the equal of Tunisia and Denmark because in reviewing their matches, I find nothing particularly dangerous that Australia hasn't already seen.
Seventhly, maybe 1-0 is actually enough. Australia can and will fight to defend a 1-0 lead and do it successfully. I wish Australia had more firepower up front and perhaps Graham Arnold may be prepared to unleash more strikers against Argentina but the character of this Australian side is one of calm and playing like workhorses.
Eighthly, getting up at stupid o'clock after going to be at 9pm is easy to do. Getting up at 5:40 am which is 7 minutes earlier than I would have normally done, is also easy to do. I do not hate the idea of 2am or 3am fixtures. Making the whole nation of us gold and green supporters live on a timetable when it is stlll dark-time outside, makes a World Cup seem exotic.
Ninthly, nine things on a list is hilarious.
Eleventhly, so is missing out numbers on a list.
Twelfthly, now we're just being ridiculous.
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