Denmark and Chile ended their international break commitments on a drab note as they played out a scrappy goalless draw at the Nordjyske Arena on Tuesday.
In what was a keenly contested, yet dull affair, chances came few and far between for the two sides, with the woodwork denying both teams as well. The goalkeepers, Johnny Herrera and Kasper Schmeichel were in their elements as well as they made vital saves to deny the respective attackers.
Chile dominated the bulk of the possession, but they couldn’t make good use of it, mustering fewer shots on target than Denmark and lagging behind in chance creation as well. The match eventually ended as it began, and The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Age Hareide and Reinaldo Rueda’s men,
Denmark
Kasper Schmeichel: 8/10
The saviour on the night for Denmark, Schmeichel was an impenetrable wall as he made four saves to keep his clean sheet intact. Quite a contrast as compared to his club form, where he has stuttered of late.
Jens Stryger Larsen: 6/10
Alexis Sanchez seemed to be winning their personal battle, but Stryger Larsen soon found his feet and contained the Manchester United man well for much of the game. Would have liked to do more in the final third, though.
Simon Kjaer: 7/10
Chile created a number of chances in the early stages of the match, but Kjaer soon organised his defence to kill off the spaces for the visitors to exploit.
Nicolai Boilesen: 7/10
Alongside Kjaer, Boilesen was a major reason why Chile couldn’t do anything substantial bar a few efforts on the night as he contained Nicolas Castillo well for the most part.
Jonas Knudsen: 6.5/10
Like Stryger Larsen on the opposite flank, Knudsen did well to negate the threat of Angel Sagal. He did advance forward more often than the right-back, but his output wasn’t often the best.
Lasse Schone: 7/10
Playing in place of William Kvist, Schone took the mantle of being the anchor man in front of the backline, restricting chances through the middle to a great extent. Could have scored the winner, but his curling free-kick struck the woodwork.
Thomas Delaney: 6.5/10
Did his work diligently, even if it may have been largely unspectacular. Put in a shift on either end of the pitch, and is a major asset to Hareide.
Andreas Cornelius: 6/10
Was a major threat in and around the Chile box with his inward movement off the ball. But, Cornelius’ finishing left a lot to be desired as he spurned a couple of glorious chances to earn his side the win.
Christian Eriksen: 7/10
The creative powerhouse for Denmark, Eriksen was in his elements on Tuesday as he set up a number of chances for his teammates. He could have a goal for himself too, if not for the brilliance of Herrera in the Chile goal.
Pione Sisto: 6/10
A blow hot blow cold outing for Sisto. There were moments of sheer brilliance from the Celta Vigo attacker, who was denied by Herrera once, but he also frustrated a lot of times with his wastefulness.
Nicklas Bendtner: 5.5/10
The veteran striker was a game changer for Denmark against Panama, but he couldn’t create a lasting impact on Tuesday, not getting into the game as often as Hareide would have liked. Subbed off at half-time.
Chile
Johnny Herrera: 8/10
DON Johnny Herrera @SamuraiAzul25 ???????? #VamosChile pic.twitter.com/woLm1qbOhI
— El Profesor ? (@RobertSanhuez4) March 27, 2018
Like Schmeichel on the opposite end, Herrera ended up being the hero for Chile, making four saves in all, two of which left the Danish attackers thinking what else could they have done. Has taken up his opportunities in the absence of Claudio Bravo extremely well.
Paulo Diaz: 6/10
Diaz coped well with the threat of Pione Sisto for large parts of the game. But, apart from setting up an early chance for Enzo Roco, he didn’t do much in the final third.
Enzo Roco: 6/10
Positives signs for Roco, who seems to be establishing himself at the heart of the Chile defence quite well. Negated the threat of the Danish strikers on the night and even had a shot on goal, saved by Schmeichel.
Guillermo Maripan: 6/10
Maripan was solid for the most part on the night, but he also often left spaces in between the lines for Eriksen to exploit. More positives than negatives, though.
Jean Beausejour: 6.5/10
Solid at the back, Beausejour used his experience to good effect on the night. And there were moments in the game when he posed more threat on the left flank than Alexis Sanchez.
Gary Medel: 5.5/10
Had the job of containing Eriksen on the night. But, Medel often gave too much space to the Tottenham schemer. Was more comfortable in the middle following the number ten’s substitution.
Pablo Hernandez: 6.5/10
One of the better players for Chile, Pablo Hernandez advanced forward with purpose on the night, linking up well with Arturo Vidal. Unlucky to not have a goal to his name, thanks to a wonderful save by Schmeichel.
Angel Sagal: 5.5/10
Poor from Sagal on Tuesday as he failed to create much of an impact on the match. Marcos Bolados will be licking his chops for a chance in the next friendly for Chile.
Arturo Vidal: 5.5/10
Vidal got the opportunity to play in a more advanced position on Tuesday. But, he couldn’t find a way past an organised and disciplined Danish defence, with his only effort blasting high and wide.
Alexis Sanchez: 6/10
Alexis Sanchez played 75 minutes of Chile’s 0-0 draw away to Denmark. The Reds’ January signing almost set up Arturo Vidal and had a long-range shot saved but could not find a way past Kasper Schmeichel. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/hEy1QMO44B
— Man United Broadcast (@manutd_brdcast) March 28, 2018
Sanchez’s poor run of form continued on Tuesday as he failed to guide Chile to a win, despite the South Americans enjoying longer spells of possession on the night. The Manchester United attacker had one shot saved and an assist denied by Schmeichel when he saved Pablo Hernandez’s header. But, he struggled to get into the game often.
Nicolas Castillo: 5.5/10
A rare opportunity for Castillo, with Vargas given the night off. But, his outing on the night shows just why Vargas continues to remain the first-choice striker, with Castillo not having much joy apart from setting up a chance for Sanchez.
