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Schmeichel, Poulsen at center of Denmark 1-0 Peru

By Nicholas MendolaJun 16, 2018, 1:54 PM EST
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  • Denmark goal: Poulsen (59′)
  • Peru misses penalty
  • Next: Denmark-Australia, Peru-France

Yussuf Yurary Poulsen scored a second half goal and Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel made several critical saves as Denmark smashed and grabbed a 1-0 World Cup win in Saransk on Saturday.

Peru found seemingly every manner of way to miss the goal in a dominant performance.

[ MORE: Latest 2018 World Cup news ] 

Both teams played with an adrenalized tempo in the first 10 minutes, with Yoshimar Yotun whipping a shot to Kasper Schmeichel in the eighth.

Peru was all over Denmark as the match moved on, with Schmeichel very active against Los Incos.

Denmark captain Simon Kjaer made a terrific block on Andre Carrillo in the 29th minute to keep it scoreless.

Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese made a terrific stop on Jens Stryger Larsen after Christian Eriksen‘s free kick was blocked by the wall.

The CONMEBOL side was given a penalty kick upon Video Assistant Referee review after Christian Cueva saw his ankle caught by Yussuf Poulsen.

But Cueva made a stuttering, disjointed run-up before blazing his effort over the bar.

Click here for live and on demand coverage of the World Cup online and via the NBC Sports App.

[ LIVE: World Cup scores ]

Peru bungled chance to take a 57th lead when Cueva cut a rug through the 18 and laid off for Carrillo, whose shot wasn’t good enough to trouble the net.

They’d regret the miss, as RB Leipzig striker Poulsen raced down the left wing and into the box to carve a shot around Gallese.

Peru nearly equalized off the restart, but Schmeichel made an outstanding save. And Jefferson Farfan couldn’t get on the end of a terrific free kick headed back across the Denmark defense in the 69th.

Poulsen was a defensive hero two minutes later, nodding a cross out of play with Paolo Guerrero lurking at the back post. And Schmeichel stopped Luis Advincula a minute after that.

Guerrero nearly spun a backheel effort inside the far post in the 79th. Peru deserved an equalizer, but would it find one. Schmeichel denied Farfan again in the 84th.

A mostly quiet Eriksen was stymied by Gallese soon after the Schmeichel stop. We say mostly…

Who can Premier League clubs draw in the Champions League’s Round of 16?

Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
By Nicholas MendolaDec 12, 2018, 5:04 PM EST
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The dust has settled in Manchester, Valencia, and else in Europe, meaning we now know the identities of potential opponents for Premier League clubs in the UEFA Champions League’s Round of 16.

[ WATCH: Sane’s sensational free kick ]

The draw will be held Monday, when Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Liverpool will learn their next steps toward the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid (steps which may include a quick trip to the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid).

The Round of 16’s first legs will be played Feb. 12-13 and Feb. 19-20, while the second legs come March 5-6 and March 12-13.

Seeded teams
Borussia Dortmund
Barcelona
Paris Saint-Germain
Porto
Real Madrid
Bayern Munich
Manchester City
Juventus

Unseeded teams
Atletico Madrid
Tottenham Hotspur
Liverpool
Schalke
AS Roma
Ajax
Manchester United
Lyon

Manchester City can draw… Atletico Madrid, Schalke, Ajax, Roma.

Manchester United can draw… Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, PSG, Porto, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid.

Tottenham Hotspur can draw… Borussia Dortmund, PSG, Porto, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus

Liverpool can draw… Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, Porto, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus

Spectacular Sane guides Man City to group crown

AP Photo/Dave Thompson
By Nicholas MendolaDec 12, 2018, 4:59 PM EST
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  • Sane scores world class free kick (video)
  • Also starts, finishes team goal
  • Man City wins group

Leroy Sane scored two beautiful goals as Manchester City came back from an early deficit to beat Hoffenheim 2-1 and claim its UEFA Champions League group on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium.

City is the lone Premier League side to win its group.

[ MORE: Champions League standings ]

Kramaric curled a wonderful ball toward the City goal, but Ederson tipped it wide of the far post with an outstanding effort.

City conceded a penalty on the ensuing corner when Laporte took down Benjamin Hubner in the box, allowing Kramaric to converted the 16th minute penalty.

Gabriel Jesus nearly equalized two minutes later, heading a Leroy Sane corner kick off the post. Oliver Baumann then made a sprawling save on John Stones.

Sane answered with a beauty before halftime, bending a wicked free kick over and around the wall.

The Premier League champions were much better in the second half, with Raheem Sterling and Sane continuing their season-long danger.

Sterling then led a 3v1 break, passing to Sane who got a bit too unselfish with a layoff to Bernardo Silva, who was stymied by the goalkeeper. It was an astounding miss.

But Sane did the thing himself, playing a sensational low pass onto the path of Sterling before getting the ball returned and touching around Baumann to make it 2-1.

[ LIVE: Champions League scores ]

[ MORE: Full lineups, stats, box score ]

Man Utd sleepwalks in Valencia loss

Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images
By Nicholas MendolaDec 12, 2018, 4:55 PM EST
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  • Soler beats Romero for opener
  • Jones scores ghastly own goal
  • Rashford pulls one back

Manchester United wasted a chance to win its Champions League group by falling 2-1 to Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium on Wednesday.

Marcus Rashford‘s 87th minute goal was all United could muster in the loss.

Young Boys stunned Juventus in Switzerland to open the door for Jose Mourinho’s men, but a Carlos Soler low drive and a Phil Jones own goal were United’s undoing.

[ MORE: Champions League standings ]

Antonio Valencia was extremely fortunate not to be sent off for a horrible studs-up tackle on Toni Lato that left the defender requiring medical attention for a gash.

Valencia, the club, scored through Soler’s low drive through traffic, which beat Sergio Romero.

The Spanish side missed two chances to make it 2-0, with Michy Batshuayi mis-hitting a terrific Cristiano Piccini cross and Geoffrey Kondogbia stymied by Marouane Fellaini‘s marking.

Pogba missed a straight-forward chance to level the score when Fellaini pounded a header into his path, but the French star hit the ball wide of the gaping frame from inside the six.

[ MORE: Full lineups, stats, box score ]

Michy Batshuayi ran alongside Phil Jones, and the English defender slid to push a perfect shot… past his own goalkeeper, David De Gea.

WATCH: Leroy Sane’s vicious, bending, world class free kick

AP Photo/Dave Thompson
By Nicholas MendolaDec 12, 2018, 4:13 PM EST
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Distance, pace, and curl: Leroy Sane’s terrific free kick equalizer had it all.

[ MORE: Real rocked at home ]

Manchester City went into halftime level with Hoffenheim at 1 thanks to a German player scoring his first UCL goal of the season, and doing it against German opposition.

Trailing via a Andrej Kramaric penalty conceded by John Stones, City hit the woodwork through Gabriel Jesus and has several other chances to equalize at the Etihad Stadium.

But it was Sane who came through in stoppage time with this stunning effort which begs for more angles.