Further reading
Guardian match report: Denmark 0-0 France
Stuart James was the unfortunate Guardian journalist tasked with dreaming up 800 or so words to describe that travesty of a football match at the Luzhniki Stadium. Here’s how he saw it ...
Rate! Rate! Rate! Rate!
I feel genuinely grubby for doing this after a match like that; I really do. But I’m under contractual obligation to ask our readers to rate the players. Personally, I’ll be giving Fekir and Mbappe six each for at least having a go and everybody else will be getting a four. N’Golo Kante was the official Fifa man of the match, for anyone who is interested. I can only surmise they picked his name out of an official Fifa hat. And remember, you might see player ratings out of 10 for the nonsense they are, but rest assured the footballers themselves take them incredibly seriously. Feel free to mess with their minds on the grid beloiw.
Match report: Denmark 0-0 France
Here’s our snap report from the Luhzniki Stadium. We’ll have a more detailed version of non-events just as soon as Stuart James, our man in the press box, figures out what the hell to write about.
Updated
Loud jeers at the end of that match: The paying Russian public were very unhappy with the performance of both teams at the end of the match and whistled their disapproval loudly. The players won’t care, nor will Fifa, but it’s not right that people should be out of pocket after sitting through a game like that in which neither team is trying.
Full-time: Denmark 0-0 France
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeep!!!!!!!! It’s all done and dusted and one of the worst games of football it’s ever been my displeasure to watch very closely for a living ends in an entirely predictable stalemate. You can say what you like about the ethics of such a practice, but both teams were entitled to play out a draw. Australia will go home mulling over the fact that their defeat at the hands of Peru made it easy for France and Denmark to take it easy. One things for certain - on the strength of their performances in this tournament thus far, neither France nor Denmark will going too much further. They’ve both been garbage.
Updated
90+3 min: It’s all over. For the first time in 38 games at this World Cup, we’ve had a goalless draw and – coincidentally, it came in a game where a goalless draw suited both teams. France top Group C, Denmark finish second. Peru and Australia face long journeys home.
90+2 min: Danish midfielder Thomas Delaney has got clattered on at least three different occasions today and finally goes off. He’s replaced by Lukas Lerager.
90+1 min: We’ll have three minutes of added time. Thanks, Sandro Ricci, from Brazil, whose claim to fame is being the first ever referee in world football to validate a goal using goal-line technology.
90 min: Another loud chorus of boos as the ball is played back to Kasper Schmeichel by one of his own team-mates from midfield.
Danish fans trying and failing to sing over chorus of boos from angry Russians. Imagine spending your hard earned on getting one World Cup ticket and ending up with this rubbish
— Daniel McDonnell (@McDonnellDan) June 26, 2018
85 min: Trying to control a low cross with Simon Kjaer tight on his back, Olivier Giroud goes to ground. There’s a half-hearted appeal for a penalty, but play goes on. As things stand, we appear to have 19 players out on the pitch who are happy to play out a scoreless draw, while both Nabil Fekir and Kylian Mbappe appear to be trying really hard to score. That’s really not in the spirit of what’s passing for the game here. The crowd are getting really annoyed and continue to jeer and whistle whenever the ball goes backwards.
83 min: Kylian Mbappe finds himself with his back to goal and the ball at his feet on the edge of the Denmark penalty area. He tries to turn, but faces a wall of red resistance.
82 min: Nabil Fekir forces Kasper Schmeichel to make a save with a low drive from distance. The Danish goalkeeper dives to his right and bats the ball away.
Updated
81 min: France substitution from two minutes ago: Ousmane Dembele off, Kylian Mbappe on.
77 min: The jeers of the paying public in the Luzhniki Stadium grow in volume as Denmark and France continue to go through the motions. I’ve seen more obvious entente cordiales (hello Republic of Ireland 1-1 Holland at Italia 90) and it wouldn’t be a huge shock if somebody got a winner (I’m presuming some French strikers have their eye on the Golden Boot), but I’m not holding my breath. The crowd are now trying to shame the players into making an effort; good luck with that.
Updated
75 min: Cornelius off, 20-year-old Ajax striker Kasper Dolberg on. It reamins Australia 0-2 Peru in Sochi, which means that as things stand in Moscow, France will go into the last 16 as Group C winners with Denmark advancing as runners-up.
73 min: Eriksen tries to tee up Cornelius with a deft back-heel into the penalty area for the striker to chase. He chases it. And doesn’t get it. And there’s another 17 minutes of this ... nothingness to go. Bendy crosses from the left, but Giroud’s downward header is off-target.
71 min: Thomas Delaney and Steven Nzonzi clash heads while contesting a high ball and the Dane comes off worst. He goes down holding his head, but is soon back on his feet. Moments late, Nzonzi wanders over to ask if he’s OK.
70 min: Fekir doesn’t appear to have read the script. He picks up the ball on the inside left channel, turns on a sixpence and unleashes a curling shot from 25 yards or so that hits the side-netting.
Updated
69 min: France substitution: Nabil Fekir on for Antoine Griezmann.
66 min: Olivier Giroud hobbles off the field with some manner of injury after getting treatment and one of the Danish midfielders with the ball at his feet just stands and waits for him to come back on before resuming play, even though the ref hadn’t signalled for it to stop. That’s how competitive this match is at the moment. Both sides are being jeered and whistled at by the crowd.
64 min: Jens Stryer Larsen goes down holding the back of his head after leaping to try and control a dreadful ball from deep and getting clattered by Raphael Varane. He’ll live.
62 min: Thomas Delaney wins a corner for Denmark. Eriksen floats the ball into the penalty area and Mandanda punches clear.
59 min: Denmark substitution: Viktor Fischer on for Pione Sisto, who’s had a very quiet game.
58 min: Good build-up play from Sisto tees up a snap-shot from Eriksen from the D on the French penalty area. The ball flashes wide of the far upright.
56 min: Mandanda was actually quite lucky there. Eriksen fired at goal from about 35 yards and the goalkeeper spilled the ball into the path of Andreas Cornelius. The striker wasn’t quite alert enough, which allowed Mandada to gather second time around.
Updated
54 min: Denmark win a free-kick a good distance out. Christian Eriksen sends the ball into the penalty area, where Steve Mandanda flaps at it, but gathers the ball at the second attempt.
51 min: France substitution: Benjamin Mendy on for Lucas Hernandez. The Manchester City full-back comes on for what is just his sixth appearance since suffering a knee injury in September. Meanwhile in Sochi, Peru have gone 2-0 up against Australia. More good news for Denmark, who now look certain to advance to the knockout stages.
50 min: Another free-kick, this time for a Cornelius foul near the halfway line. Another 40 minutes of this will be just spellbinding.
48 min: Hernandez fouls Braithwaite just inside the French half and concedes a free-kick.
47 min: Giroud wrestles Zanka to the ground as the pair contest a curling ball into the Danish penalty area and is penalised.
Second-half: France 0-0 Denmark
46 min: Denmark get the ball rolling, with no changes on either side. They immediately win a throw-in just inside the France half. A win for them will send them top of the group, but I suspect they’ll happily settle for second place.
Interesting talking point: It’s been a predictably dreary game with precious few conversation points, but in the wake of cynical chop by Zanka on Griezmann just before half-time, the referee blew for the break before allowing France to take the free-kick. That seems rather harsh, considering the nature of the foul and the blistering speed of the counter-attack to which it put a premature and violent end.
Updated
Half-time: Denmark 0-0 France
Peep! It’s all sqaure at the break in the Luzhniki, where as things stand, both sides will advance to the knockout stages with France topping the group and Denmark finishing second. With Australia losing against Peru, the longer this match goes on, the more likely it is that both sides will settle for what would, remarkably, be this tournament’s first scoreless draw in 38 matches.
45+2 min: From a Denmark corner, Antoine Griezmann scorches out of defence with the ball at his feet. As he prepared to offload to Dembele on his right, Zanka takes him down and gets a yellow card for his troubles. “Nobody likes to see that, but it was the right thing to do,” says Glenn Hoddle. “He’s taken one for the time.”
45+1 min: The first half goes into added time with France on the ball. Griezmann tries to play Giroud in behind with a deft weighted pass, but Giroud didn’t read his intention and the ball ends up in the arms of Schmeichel.
44 min: Griezmann gets in behind the French defence to chase a Lemar ball from over the top and tees up Giroud for a shot on goal from the edge of the penalty area. He blasts over, when scoring looked easier. His blushes are somewhat spared when the linesman belatedly signals that Griezmann had been offside.
Updated
41 min: Ousmane Dembele beats Henrik Dalsgaard for speed down the right flank and tries to stand the ball up for Olivier Giroud. It’s headed clear, with ne’er a Frenchman in the vicinity.
39 min: France stretch Denmark and Antoine Griezmann finds himself in space on the edge of the area. He shoots on goal, but his curled effort is straight at Kasper Schmeichel.
Updated
37 min: France continue to dominate possession but are struggling to find that final killer ball. Denmark are sitting deep and leaving few gaps, but a consequence of this is that they’re struggling to get Christian Eriksen, their one truly class player, into the game.
Updated
34 min: From distance, Ousmane Dembele cuts inside on his right and unleashes a shot. Wide.
32 min: Having seen a couple of replays of that incident involving Hernandez, Mandanda and Eriksen, I’m still not sure whether the Dane was fouled or not. It was a wonderful ball into the area by Cornelius, which looked certain to be chipped over the onrushing keeper by Eriksen, but for the intervention of Hernandez.
Simon Cornelius attacks down the left on the counter and drills a low ball in from the left. It’s a beautifully weighted ball for Christian Eriksen to chase, with Steve Mandada springing from the opposite direction. Eriksen nicks the ball and goes down under a joint challenge from Mandanda and Hernandez, who was galloping back. France clear their lines and Eriksen appeals for a penalty, but doesn’t get one.
Updated
28 min: Simon Kjaer goes down holding his head after shipping an accidental blow to the head from a flailing arm while contesting a high ball. He’s soon OK to continue.
Updated
27 min: France win a free-kick in the inside left channel and Lemar whips the ball across the face of goal. Simon Kjaer helps it out for a corner, managing to avoid lashing the ball into his own net in the process.
Updated
26 min: Hernandez attempts to pull the ball back for Griezmann on the edge of the Danish penalty area, but his delivery is wayward and Christian Eriksen intercepts.
24 min: There’s an appeal for handball on the edge of his penalty area by Zanka, after Osmane Dembele appears to kick the ball against his hand from close range. The referee isn’t interested, although penalties have been given for as much, if not less, in recent days.
21 min: Denmark win a corner, which Christian Eriksen takes. He raises his right arm and sends the ball into the six-yard box, where Raphael Varane heads clear. It breaks to Mathias Jorgensen (aka Zanka) on the edge of the penalty area, but France manage to clear.
19 min: Meanwhile in Sochi, Peru have taken a 1-0 lead against Australia in this group’s other encounter. It’s good news for Denmark and you can keep tabs on that with Jonathan Howcroft.
18 min: Raphael Varane appears to get his head to the ensuing inswinger, which sails wide. Replays show it actually went out off a Danish head.
14 min: France enjoy a period of possession, moving about three yards up the pitch in a 50-pass period of possession lasting a couple of minutes. They eventually find an opening, sticking what ITV co-comms man Glenn Hoddle describes as a “penetrating ball” into the box. Lucas Hernandez goes to ground under a challenge from Henrik Dalsgaard, appealing for a penalty as the ball breaks to Giroud. His chip is put out out for a corner by Schmeichel.
Updated
10 min: Under pressure from the busy Martin Braithwaite, Presnel Kimpembe shins the ball out for a corner while trying to shepherd it back to his goalkeeper. The linesman doesn’t spot this and a goal-kick is awarded, much to Braithwaite’s annoyance. France are struggling to keep up with Braithwaite at the moment – he’s had a very lively start and is making a nuisance of himself up front.
8 min: France attempt to get the ball into the Danish penalty area with a Griezmann cross from the right. It’s overhit and Kasper Schmeichel claims comfortably.
7 min: Christian Eriksen sends the ball towards the near post, where Simon Kjaer gets the header, albeit while being tightly marked by Steven Nzonzi. The ball sails widce of the goal and Kjaer appeals for another corner. He doesn’t get one.
5 min: Replays suggest that Braithwaite didn’t have a case for a penalty and the VAR officials may well have said as much to the referee. The Dane goes on to drive into the penalty area and forces N’Golo Kante to concede the corner.
3 min: Andreas Cornelius wins a header, unleashing Martin Braithwaite. He takes the ball past two French defenders and goes to ground in the penalty area under pressure from two defenders. His appeals for a penalty fall on deaf ears and referee Sandro Ricci waves play on.
Updated
2 min: Djibril Sidibe, in at right-back for France, gets in behind his opposite number and drills a low, but fairly feeble cross into the Danish penalty area. It’s a mis-kick, surely. Olivier Giroud can’t head the ball when it’s that low.
1 min: As expected Andreas Christensen lines up in the Danish midfield, as the game gets under way.
Group C: Denmark v France is GO!
1 min: France kick off, wearing white shirts, navy shorts and white socks. Denmark’s players wear red shirts, white shorts and red socks.
The anthems are over: Kick-off is just a coin-toss and several handshakes away.
Not long now: The liveried volunteers have laid the the giant flags and Fifa logos out on the pitch and the teams are out. It’s time for the national anthems.
Denmark v France line-ups
Denmark: Schmeichel, Dalsgaard, Kjaer, Christensen, Larsen, Delaney, Mathias Zanka Jorgensen, Eriksen, Sisto, Cornelius, Braithwaite.
Subs: Lossl, Krohn-Dehli, Vestergaard, Knudsen, Kvist, Nicolai Jorgensen, Dolberg, Fischer, Lerager, Schone, Ronnow.
France: Mandanda, Sidibe, Varane, Kimpembe, Lucas, Kante, Nzonzi, Lemar, Griezmann, Dembele, Giroud.
Subs: Lloris, Pavard, Umtiti, Pogba, Mbappe-Lottin, Tolisso, Matuidi, Rami, Fekir, Thauvin, Mendy, Areola.
Referee: Sandro Ricci (Brazil)
Team news: Seven changes from France: Didier Deschamps has made six changes from the side that beat Peru so unconvincingly at Ekatarinburg. Raphael Varane, Lucas Hernandez, N[’Golo Kante, Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud keep their places, while Steve Mandanda, Raphael Sidibe, Presnely Kimpembe, Ousmane Dembele, Steven Nzonzi, and Thomas Lemar come in. As expected, Martin Braithwaite starts for Denmark instead of Yussuf Poulsen, while Andreas Cornelius replaces Lasse Schone. Andreas Christensen will move to midfield.
Updated
Early team news ...
Denmark’s Yussuf Poulsen is suspended and will sit this one out on the official Fifa designated Naughty Step. He is likely to be replaced by Martin Braithwaite, who doesn’t sound so much like a Danish footballer, as a mild-mannered window-cleaner with a dark, deeply troubled past on Coronation Street. William Kvist will play no further part in the tournament for Denmark after breaking two ribs and suffering a punctured lung in their opening win over Peru. France have a full squad to choose from, but their manager may choose to rotate with qualification for the knockout stages already assured.
Guardian Experts’ Network: Events of the past fortnight may have overtaken some of the information contained in these World Cup previews, but they remain an invaluable guide to what you can expect from today’s teams.
Group C: Denmark v France
Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium is the venue for this Group C decider between Denmark and France. The French have already qualified for the knockout stages, while Denmark need one more point to join them. A cynic could be forgiven for thinking the two teams might collude to shaft Australia, who take on Peru in Sochi at the same time, needing a win to keep themselves in with any sort of shout of getting through on goal difference or goals scored ... if Denmark lose. Kick-off is at 3pm (BST), but stay tuned for team news and build-up.
