24
16:25
Lindstrøm and Mæhle played well on the left, but the Atalanta Bergamo defender got caught by Mooy in the box.
22
16:23
Now Australia are in the lead again, Duke extends a long ball to McGree on the right corner of the penalty area. The player from the English Championship takes an immediate dropkick, but the game device lands directly in Schmeichel’s arms.
22
16:22
The Danish attacking game works much better than against Tunisia in the first game. The fast diagonal changes in particular are played well.
20
16:21
Mæhle is found with a great diagonal ball on the left and pulls into the penalty area. There he first fools Degenek and then gives flat from the baseline to the middle. Rowles deflects the ball in the front corner of the five-yard space, making it very dangerous for his keeper. But Ryan gets his legs together in time, fends off and McGree then finally clarifies.
18
16:18
Eriksen crosses from the left half of a free kick wide of the second post. Christensen prevails there, but his header only goes to the side netting. The former Gladbacher was offside anyway.
16
16:16
The Socceroos hardly manage to provide relief. Attack after attack rolls towards the defensive line.
14
16:14
Australia is coming under more pressure by the minute. Braithwaite gives a right to Skov Olsen in the penalty area. He pulls right from 17 meters, but the attempt goes well over the box.
11.
16:12
Next chance for the Danes. Jensen is sent offside into the penalty area on the right, but gets stuck on a well-parried Ryan from eight meters and an acute angle. It is becoming more compelling in Denmark.
11.
16:12
And then one does happen, namely a low cross from Skov Olsen from the right. Lindstrøm tries it directly from the penalty spot, but Degenek is able to block with a great tackle.
10
16:10
The flanks are still very imprecise in this game on both sides. So now Slov Olsen gets stuck with his cross.
9.
16:09
Both Australia and Denmark deliver early and don’t want to give their opponents any room to breathe. Danish Dynamite even prevented the Socceroos from taking goal kicks short.
7.
16:07
Mæhle is used well on the left by Lindstrøm and has a clear path. He crosses from the baseline, but Ryan gets the ball a fraction of a second before Braithwaite. That was close.
5.
16:06
It’s an active start from both teams. Kristensen finds Jensen on the first post with a low cross from the right. He can’t actually finish from this angle, but tries anyway. The result: repulsion.
4.
16:04
Yellow card for Aziz Behich (Australia)
Behich sees an early, very early yellow card. He had held Skov Olsen in a counter-attack in midfield. Ghorbal apparently wants to drive a strict line today.
3.
16:04
And the Socceroos have the first opportunity too. McGree has far too much space in front of the penalty area and pulls from 20 meters. The shot wouldn’t actually be bad at all, but it only hits Duke in the back.
3.
16:02
Australia don’t, as one might have guessed, retreat deeply early in the game. On the contrary, the attack line goes early.
1.
16:00
Then the ball rolls. Denmark has started.
15:54
At this moment, the teams step onto the pitch together with referee Mustapha Ghorbal from Algeria. The game can start in a few minutes.
15:52
But now back to the genuinely sporty. Denmark is favored in today’s game because of the top international players in their ranks. In the previous two games, the northern Europeans could not show their class on the pitch, especially against deep-seated Tunisians they had their problems. Australia will probably use the same tactic today, as a draw for the Socceroos would be enough for the next round. Courage can give the Australians the last and only meeting between the two teams. At the 2018 World Cup, they also met in the preliminary round, back then it was a 1-1 draw. A good omen?
15:44
In addition to the sporting importance of this game, unfortunately, as with every game in Qatar, a look must also be taken at the political dimension of the tournament as a whole. The farce about the One Love captain’s armband, which also affected the Danish national team, is probably a thing of the past. The president of the association, Jesper Möller, briefly toyed with leaving FIFA, but quickly backtracked after criticism. So it remains to be seen whether Danish Dynamite wants to draw attention to the human rights situation in the host country and hold FIFA accountable.
15:34
France are already through in Group D, which could well play into Tunisia’s cards in the parallel game. However, if we assume that the Equipe Tricolore will still win, it is actually the direct duel between Australia and Denmark that will be decisive. During the course of the game we will keep looking at this constellation and the score between Tunisia and France.
15:23
It’s a so-called do-or-die game, only one of the two teams can reach the round of 16 today. Australia have the better starting position, in second place with three points, which they last gained in the 1-0 win against Tunisia. Denmark, on the other hand, only got a point against the North Africans at the start, against France there was a bankruptcy as for the Socceroos. A win is therefore a must for Danish Dynamite today.
15:03
To start, let’s take a look at the lineups. Australia coach Graham Arnold has called up Degenek in place of Karačić compared to the last game. So there is only one change in the right-back position. Irvine, known from FC St. Pauli, is back in the starting XI, as is former Bundesliga player Leckie. For the nominal “guests”, coach Kasper Hjulmand relies on Jensen, Braithwaite and Skov Olsen. But Nelsson, Cornelius and Damsgaard sit outside. This is also accompanied by a change in the system, away from a five-man chain to a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, depending on the interpretation. The Danes want to develop significantly more offensive power. Former Dortmund player Delaney is missing again with a knee injury.
14:59
Welcome to the Australia vs Denmark match of Group D match day 3 of the 2022 World Cup at the Al-Janoub Stadium in Al-Wakrah. Kick-off is at 4 p.m.!