Australia has proven it is a team of consequence at this World Cup, and that has ruffled feathers
The Danes were angry. Filing out of the Samara Arena, Denmark fans were unsmiling, quiet and irritated by the singing of the Australian fans.
In the days leading up to the match they had been jovial among themselves and friendly with the Australian fans they ran into, if perhaps a little condescending.
"Good luck, eh," they'd say, followed by the inevitable, "You're going to need it."
But following Denmark's 1-1 draw with Australia, a match they fully expected to win, friendliness had turned to saltiness.
It wasn't just about the result. Though that will make them uncomfortable. They know now they have to play France, one of the title contenders, without having already secured a place in the next round. A draw will suit both sides but they will be extremely nervous that France won't play nice.
The draw wasn't the main issue, it was that Denmark had been comprehensively outplayed by Australia, a team they had expected to be the easybeats of the group.
The Danes and Peruvians had looked on their first-up clash as the big one, the game that would decide who goes through in second place after France. Denmark had won so they believed the hard part was done.
When Australia started nervously, too defensively, and Christian Eriksen thumped in a superb opening goal, the game seemed to be following the script, as far as the Europeans were concerned anyway.
But gradually, patiently, Australia took control.
The Socceroos' build up play, which had appeared laborious and somewhat pointless in the opening minutes, now began to bear fruit.
Mile Jedinak and Aaron Mooy, the deepest midfielders, started pushing forward, and pushing their passes into more dangerous areas too.
The wide men Matthew Leckie and Robbie Kruse made raids down the flanks, with Leckie especially troubling the Denmark defence. The fullbacks got forward to offer more options.
Importantly, Tom Rogic began to see more of the ball and put the defence in two minds, his quick thinking changing the angles of attack and his dribbling turning the defenders around.
The team in red looked dangerous in glimpses, but the Socceroos had wrenched away control of the game.
Chances began to come but there was nobody to put them away, with Andrew Nabbout spending his time as a workhorse and not waiting up front to threaten the goal.
Eventually the VAR intervened. Or more accurately, Poulsen's hand interfered with a cross and the VAR picked it up.
It's an odd sensation in the stadium when the video assistant comes into play. Watching from the stands you see the players react to something in the box. The referee waves play on but then some moments later he halts the game. There is a growing excitement as the crowd realises something has been spotted.
Nobody knows the right moment to cheer. Is it when the ref stops play? When he signals for the VAR?
The players mill about near the sidelines, taking in water and instructions.
At this early stage of the VAR's existence, most cases that get examined in the area tend to end in a penalty, so the anticipation is high among fans of the attacking team.
When the referee trotted back onto the field and pointed to the penalty spot from near the halfway line, the Australians in the stands finally knew it was time to scream and shout.
Is it hard to start loving something (the VAR) which you've vehemently hated for the last few days? Apparently not.
Mile stepped up. Kasper Schmeichel did his best to put him off by carrying on like a yee-ha, but the Australian captain slotted home with extreme prejudice.
External Link: Arzani skills v Denmark: tweet
The contest had taken on a certain rhythm while Denmark was in front, with Australia dictating the tempo, and the Danes never recovered their mojo.
The second half saw that continue. Eriksen was shackled by the real man-of-the-match Jedinak (the Dane got the official award, but the official award was wrong), who was also a metronome when it came to dishing out passes.
The much-anticipated Daniel Arzani replaced Kruse and was sensational. Yes, he tries to do too much sometimes, but it's worth it. His twinkle-toed dance along the by-line was the most magical moment of Australia's campaign so far.
It created one of Australia's best chances, but the cross flashed across the face of goal without anybody getting a foot on it.
The other great chance was from Mooy, who saw an opportunity and fired a sizzling shot from distance, which flew just wide.
The even-more-anticipated Tim Cahill didn't get a look in again. It will raise questions in the media about his relationship with the coach, but the most likely explanation is that Bert van Marwijk is a cold and calculating manager who hasn't seen him as the best option in the last two games.
There were a few moments when Australia was nearly cruelly stung by moments of inattention at the back, but overall the tide was going one way.
And that's what hurt their fans the most, they had been straight-up outplayed by what they considered an inferior side.
"Australia wasn't good, we were shit. So shit," one fan, draped in a Danish flag, told the ABC.
Another mocked the chanting Australians on the way out. "You have just one point! One little point!"
They were lashing out because their pride had taken a hit. That's proof the Socceroos played very well. They are a side of consequence in this tournament, when nobody expected them to be.
And that little one point is enough to keep the dream of qualification for the next round alive.
[contf]
[contfnew]
ABC .net
[contfnewc]
[contfnewc]
