Denmark only needs 1 good chance to beat Peru

For the most part, Peru lived up to expectations about their exciting play. They were fast, relentless, took plenty of shots... and none went into the back of the net. Denmark, meanwhile, were a bit more measured. And they needed just one attack — a precise counter-attack from Christian Eriksen and Yurary — to win the match.

Peru won a penalty just before halftime, but couldn’t convert. The referee judged that Christian Cueva had been fouled in the box after a VAR review, but Cueva skied his spot kick over the bar.

Denmark took the lead 15 minutes into the second half, with Eriksen storming through the Peru midfield uncontested before setting up the winner.

Peru had a ton of chances to equalize, but Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was on fire. He made six saves on the night, and this was the best one of the bunch.

If there’s one big surprise, it’s that Paolo Guerreiro isn’t starting for Peru. The star striker recently had a drugs banned overturned and is available off the bench, but Peru had to play a couple of warm-up friendlies without him. They must have liked what they saw from the Guerreiro-less lineups, since he was expected to return to the starting XI.

Denmark’s lineup is a lot less surprising. Expect everything to go through superstar Christian Eriksen in the middle.

Denmark will kick off its first World Cup appearance since 2010 with a Group C match against Peru on Saturday afternoon. The match is set to start at the Mordovia Arena in Saransk, Russia at 12 p.m. on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports Go.

Denmark is making its fifth World Cup appearance, while Peru is playing in the tournament for the first time since 1982. Both teams haven’t lost a match in 18 months. Peru will have Paolo Guerrero on the roster after his 14-month drug ban was overturned.

Group C is expected to be tough, with France a heavy favorite to finish first and Australia looking capable of giving both of these teams a challenge. Peru and Denmark might both feel like they need a win in their opener to have a good chance to make the knockout round.

Peru vs. Denmark time, TV channel, and streaming info

Time: 12 p.m. ET

Location: Mordovia Arena, Saransk, Russia

TV: FOX Sports 1 (English), Telemundo (Spanish)

Streaming: Watch the game on Fox Sports Go (English) and Telemundo Deportes en vivo (Spanish) for free if you sign in with your TV provider. It’s also on subscription services like Fubo and Hulu.

Odds: Denmark -0.25 (full odds at OddsShark)

For listings from more countries, check out Live Soccer TV.

All of Denmark’s attacks go through the Tottenham star, who’s just as likely to score as he is to assist.

The World Cup is also a job interview for a lot of players, Tapia included. If he has a good tournament for Peru, he could move from Feyenoord to one of the biggest leagues in Europe.