The FIFA World Cup produced one other couple of shock outcomes on Wednesday
A single aim from Mathew Leckie was sufficient for Australia to shock the not-so-great Danes of their Group D conflict on Wednesday, making certain that the Socceroos transfer to the knockout phases of a FIFA World Cup for the primary time in 16 years.
Denmark, who wanted three factors to safe their very own passage to the final 16 in Qatar, loved the lion’s share of possession all through however struggled to interrupt down a cussed Aussie rearguard, and in the end resorted to a barrage of late, lengthy and diagonal balls because the second ticked away to what would turn into a well-known Australian win.
The essential aim got here on the hour when Melbourne Metropolis winger Mathew Leckie put the ending touches on a swift Australian counter-attack to slip the ball previous a helpless Kasper Schmeichel to offer his aspect what would show to be an unassailable benefit.
“I’m proud, exhausted, all the things. Exhausting to explain the feelings proper now, we all the time believed as a bunch we might do it,” mentioned Leckie afterwards, a person who will little doubt by no means need to pay for a beer in his hometown ever once more.
“We had our doubters however with our spirit, our perception, our work ethic and the way shut we’re as a bunch, it reveals on the pitch. That final 15-20 minutes, we battled till the top and it did not matter what they threw at us, we weren’t conceding.”
The win was Australia’s second in Group D and sees them completed in second place behind France, who themselves had been on the receiving finish of one other of the event’s shock outcomes after they misplaced to Tunisia, additionally by a single aim to nil.
Tunisia captain Wahbi Khazi’s intelligent second-half end proved to be the distinction between the 2 sides in a end result which can come as a major silver lining to their elimination from the event.
France appeared to have equalized within the ninth minute of stoppage time however Antoine Griezmann’s late effort was dominated out by VAR to the delight of a raucous Tunisian crowd.
It will likely be the Danes, although, who head dwelling with their tails firmly entrenched between their legs after ending backside of a Group D which promised a lot – with a presumed inquest into their abject failure awaiting them in Copenhagen.
One thing actually is rotten within the state of Denmark.