Schmeichel, Poulsen lead Denmark past Peru 1-0 at World Cup
SARANSK, Russia — Whether Kasper Schmeichel was making an acrobatic save or just getting lucky, it was his night.
In a World Cup debut reminiscent of the way his father, Peter, played for Denmark and Manchester United, Schmeichel made Yussuf Poulsen’s opportunistic second-half goal stand in a 1-0 victory Saturday over Peru.
“It’s good to have a good goalkeeper, let me put it that way,” Denmark coach Age Hareide said. “He is acrobatic and a very quick goalkeeper. He had a fantastic performance and we needed it. You have to acknowledge the performance of Kasper today.”
Poulsen squeezed his goal between charging Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and the left post in the 59th minute after collecting an angled pass from midfielder Christian Eriksen.