The Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow has played host to some of the most famous chapters in sporting history - Tuesday’s match between France and Denmark will not be remembered as one of them. The two sides played out a 0-0 draw in game devoid of almost any excitement, intent or ambition.
It is the first goalless draw of this 2018 tournament, and the fans who packed the stadium were audibly disappointed to have attended the match where the streak broke. However, fans of both teams will be pleased with the outcome, if not the performance, as it was enough to see both teams qualify from the group.
France, assured of qualification before kick off, made six changes to their previous starting lineup, resting several key players. Those who were given a chance to shine can hardly be pleased with their afternoon’s work.
Denmark went into the game knowing that a point would be enough to see them qualify through in second place, and indeed both sides seemed to not want to upset the balance of play. When Peru went 1-0 up against Australia the likelihood of this changing only lessened.
By the end, the ball was being passed round the midfield at a snail’s pace, much slower than the speed at which the fans left the stadium in their droves. Both benches seemed pleased at full time, as a professional job was done by all, but performances like this will have to be avoided as the tournament moves forward into the knockout stages.
Topping the group means that France will have a game against the team finishing second in Group D - possibly Argentina - and Didier Deschamps will have to impress upon his side that a repeat of this cannot be afforded. Denmark can look forward to a likely battle with Croatia.