Daily Times

SARANSK: Yussuf Poulsen redeemed himself by scoring the solitary goal against Peru after giving away a first-half penalty as Denmark picked up a crucial victory in Group C to begin their World Cup campaign at the Mordovia Arena on Saturday. Christian Cueva ballooned the spot kick, awarded after VAR consultation when Poulsen brought down the penalty-taker, just before halftime, the worst of several misses for Peru, who were returning to the finals after a gap of 36 years. Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Christian Eriksen, who had an otherwise quiet outing, set up the game’s decisive moment by threading an immaculate defence-splitting pass to Poulsen who beat advancing Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese in the 59th minute. “Of course it was an emotional game,” Poulsen told reporters. “For me in particular, in the first half I made a penalty, I was the bad guy. Then I scored, I was the good guy.”

Published in Daily Times, June 19^th 2018.