World Cup round of 16 power rankings: Can anyone stop Brazil?
By James Dudko
Find out where Brazil, Uruguay and England feature in the last-16 power rankings for the World Cup.
There were surprises galore in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup. No shock was bigger than holders Germany being eliminated before the knockout round for the first time since 1938.
More surprises included Sweden proving they don’t need Zlatan Ibrahimovic to thrive. Meanwhile, Croatia enjoyed a clean sweep of Group D, the so-called “group of death.”
By contrast, star-studded Argentina just managed to scrape through.
Find out where all 16 teams rank ahead of the knockout phase.
16. Denmark
The Danes made it to the last 16 without too much fuss. Yet there was also little style about the way they progressed from Group D.
Instead, steady and disciplined performances were the order of the day for coach Age Hareide’s men. Lacking a commanding match-winner up top, Hareide relied on an experienced defence led by Simon Kjaer.
His partnership with Chelsea’s Andreas Christensen, in front of Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, meant Danish Dynamite proved hard to break down. Hareide’s squad conceded just once in three group matches.
Don’t expect much sparkle from this team in the next round, either. Not even the presence of Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen will change this group’s pragmatic outlook.
The 0-0 bore draw with France on Tuesday that sealed qualification summed up the way Denmark have approached the tournament so far.
Ironically, free-flowing Croatia await Eriksen and Co. in the next round. Denmark’s dour patience will act as the antithesis of the Blazers’ stylish, possession-based game.