Bert van Marwijk’s men travelled to Samara needing a win after their unfortunate 2-1 defeat to France in their Group C opener.

Australia battled back impressively after Christian Eriksen’s seventh-minute opener but were unable to find a way past Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel from open play despite dominating a pulsating second half.

The result leaves Denmark on four points and Australia with just a single point after two games apiece.

Tottenham midfielder Eriksen, identified as the dangerman by Australia in the run-up to the game, showed sublime technique to finish after Nicolai Jorgensen’s neat lay-off in the area.

Australia’s response was impressive but with just one point from two games the Socceroos’ chances of advancing in Russia now appear slim.

Eriksen’s early opener was a body blow for Australia but they were given a lifeline when an outswinging corner seemed destined for the head of Hertha Berlin winger Mathew Leckie but came off the arm of Yussuf Poulsen.

The Leipzig front man had been Denmark’s hero with the matchwinner against Peru but was adjudged to have handled the ball and the referee consulted the Video Assistant Referee system before pointing to the spot.

Jidenak, who had scored a penalty against France, stepped up to fire easily past Schmeichel in the 38th minute.

Eriksen’s free kick caused mayhem in the box just minutes later, with Mat Ryan collecting in relief after the ball came off the leg of Trent Sainsbury a yard from the goalline.

The Socceroos were quickly into their strde after the restart, only for Pione Sisto to curl just wide of Ryan’s goal.

Yet Australia went on to dominate a second half that saw Aaron Mooy and late substitute Danel Arzani go agonisingly close.

Van Marwijk, who replaced Ange Postecoglou at the helm of the Australian team in January, handed 19-year-old Arzani another chance to impress after a late cameo appearance against France.

With practically his first touch, the teenager set up Huddersfield Town midfielder Mooy for a drive that flashed just wide.

Andrew Nabbout’s game ended prematurely when he fell and suffered what looked like a dislocated shoulder, the Urawa Reds front man replaced by Tomi Juric.

Arzani did well to keep the ball in play and outfox Sisto to fire across the area but the chance went begging.

Just minutes before the final whistle the Iranian-born teenager produced an angled strike that forced a great block from Schmeichel.

Players and coaches can be a superstitious bunch and often have a ritual or item of clothing they believe is a charm that has contributed to a winning run.

They range from former Colombian keeper Rene Higuita’s insistence on wearing blue underpants to current German striker Mario Gomez’s habit of only using the far-left urinal to relieve himself before a match.

Gomez’s Germany teammate Julian Draxler gives himself a spritz of scent before a big match.

“Sometimes my teammates ask me if I’m not right in the head,” the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder said.

“Every player has a ritual before a match and I usually hold my bag in my locker and I throw on two or three sprays of perfume. It gives me a feeling of happiness.”

Sports psychologist Dan Abrahams, author of the book “Soccer Tough”, said so many match-day factors are beyond a player’s control that adopting a ritual or lucky charm provides something to focus on and take charge of.

“Logically, these kinds of rituals aren’t linked to performance,” he told AFP.

“However, if a player creates the perception that they are, then the action can become a hinge factor for how a player feels,” said the specialist, who works with Premier League club Bournemouth.

– Best foot forward –

England’s Dele Alli is using the same shin guards he has worn since childhood when he plays in Russia, hoping they bring the good fortune that has long eluded the Three Lions at international tournaments.

“I’ve had the same shinpads since I was 11. They are battered (but) I am very superstitious,” the Tottenham midfielder told Fifa.com.

Some players such as England’s Phil Jones do not like stepping on white lines, while Brazil defender Marcelo always runs onto the pitch right foot first.

The habit is so ingrained that during training in Rostov-on-Don he left the pitch and re-entered after realising he had accidentally led with his left foot.

“Everybody likes to enter with the right foot, right? I’m no different,” he laughed when quizzed by reporters.

Morocco coach Herve Renard has worn a white shirt on the sidelines since he took Zambia to a surprise victory at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012.

He is doing so again in Russia, although it has not proved so lucky this time as Morocco will be heading home after the group stages.

France are convinced superstition played a part in their 1998 World Cup win, when Fabien Barthez’s teammates rubbed the goalkeeper’s bald head for good luck.

Defender Laurent Blanc planted a big kiss on Barthez’s pool-ball pate before every match, right up to the final against Brazil.

Perhaps the strangest example of the power of suggestion helping a team to World Cup glory is Argentina’s triumph in 1978.

– The mo must go –

In an era of short shorts and long hair, Argentina’s star striker Mario Kempes was a dedicated follower of fashion, sporting a stylish horseshoe moustache and flowing locks.

But Kempes failed to find the net in the group stages, prompting coach Cesar Luis Menotti to offer a suggestion to the forward nicknamed “El Matador”.

Menotti, who had omitted a teenage prodigy named Diego Maradona in favour of Kempes, pointed out that when he visited the striker in Spain before the tournament he was clean-shaven and scoring freely for Valencia.

Why didn’t he get rid of the moustache and see if it brought a change of fortune?

The impact was immediate. Kempes scored two goals in his next match against Poland, then two more against Peru to seal a spot in the final.

Another two goals in the decider against the Netherlands saw Kempes claim the Golden Boot and gave Argentina their maiden World Cup title.

“The moustache had to go… that was the start of a new chapter for me,” Kempes later said.

“After that, every time (Menotti) saw me he’d say ‘You’re due a shave today Mario, aren’t you?’.”

The promotion on the global fast food chain’s account on VK — a local rival of Facebook — suggested Russia could benefit from some good “football genes”.

“As part of its social responsibility (campaign), Burger King is offering a reward to women who get impregnated by football stars,” said Burger King.

“Every woman will get three million rubles (around $45,000) and a lifetime’s supply of Whopper burgers. Women who manage to get the best football genes will ensure Russia’s success in future generations.”

The post ended with a call: “Go ahead! We believe in you!”

Burger King removed the ad and tried to make amends after a furore erupted on social media and in international media.

“We apologise for our statement. It turned out to be too offensive,” Burger King said.

The ad appeared to be ineptly trying to poke fun at an infamatory statement by a lawmakers who urged women not to have sex with foreign fans.

A Communist Party parliamentarian, Tamara Pletneva, told a radio station that the World Cup could leave Russian women raising children “of another race”.

Pletneva said the 1980 Moscow Olympics had led to some local women having then-rare relationships with foreigners and falling pregnant.

“It’s the children who suffer… and have suffered since the Soviet era. It’s lucky if they’re the same race (as the mother) but if they’re of another race, it’s worse.”

The Kremlin quickly distanced itself from Pletneva’s remarks.

“Russian women can probably manage their own affairs. They are the best women in the world,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Russia was sealed off from much of the world during the Soviet era and remains a deeply conservative society to this day.

Its complexion has changed markedly with the influx of hundreds of thousands of fans of the 32 nations taking part in the month-long World Cup.

Burger King’s big rival McDonald’s is one of the World Cup’s sponsors but companies of all stripes are trying to cash in on the most watched event in the world.

Coach Gernot Rohr’s Super Eagles — who brought the youngest squad to Russia, with an average age of around 25 years of age — have now won just one of their past 13 games at World Cups.

Nigeria reached the knockout phase at the 2014 World Cup, but slipped to a 2-0 defeat in their Group D opener against Croatia in Kaliningrad, courtesy of an Oghenekaro Etebo own-goal and a Luka Modric penalty.

Their side, including 19-year-old goalkeeper Francis Uzoho, were almost unrecognisable from the team beaten by France in the last 16 four years ago.

“Sometimes we were a little bit naive on set pieces but we will work on it,” said Rohr.

Iceland are buoyant after what their coach Heimir Hallgrimsson described as a “schoolbook example” of how to defend against Lionel Messi’s Argentina.

Messi complained that “Iceland didn’t want to play” but the Nordic minnows, playing in their first-ever World Cup, were unimpressed by the criticism.

“Maybe he would have been happier if we had played attacking football and lost 5-0. People can have their opinion about it but we really don’t care,” said goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson.

The Nigeria game in Volgograd will be “a bit more open,” said the 34-year-old ‘keeper, whose string of saves, most notably from a Messi penalty, kept the 2014 finalists at bay.

“Nigeria will be difficult to beat. They are fast and more direct than Argentina. It will be a different game in many ways,” he added.

Rohr believes his team could still make it out of a highly competitive group.

“We are only one point behind (Iceland) and all is in our hands, so let’s be positive. Let them learn from this defeat (against Croatia) and try to do better,” said the former Bordeaux coach.

Neymar was given a rough ride in Brazil’s disappointing 1-1 draw with Switzerland on Sunday, fouled 10 times during the match, the most for any player in a single World Cup game for 20 years.

The world’s most expensive player then set alarm bells ringing when he hobbled out of training on Tuesday in full view of the cameras.

However, he returned to the training pitch 48 hours ahead of the clash in Saint Petersburg, raising hopes he will feature.

Even before his latest setback, there were doubts over Neymar’s fitness heading into the World Cup after a three-month layoff.

The Switzerland clash was his first competitive game for nearly four months after a broken bone in his right foot ended his club season with Paris Saint-Germain in February.

To the frustration of many in the French capital, Neymar returned home for much of his recovery process with the intention of being fully fit for the World Cup.

– Neymar still the key –

However, questions remain whether he is seriously lacking match practice.

Brazil looked to their talisman time and again in the final stages in Rostov-on-Don, but he failed to find the final pass or finish to unlock a well-organised Switzerland defence.

Instead, it was Philippe Coutinho who got Brazil’s campaign off to a flying start with a wonderful long range strike to open the scoring.

In contrast to Neymar, Coutinho ended the season in sensational form for Barcelona after sealing his dream move from Liverpool.

Should Neymar not be fit, Coutinho could be moved into his role on the left of a front three with Tite bolstering his midfield.

However, Coutinho insists Neymar remains the key figure in Brazil’s pursuit of World Cup glory.

“Neymar is one of the best players in the world. Of course having him in our side is a big plus for us,” said Coutinho.

“He is so important. He is always creating the play, creating space.”

Brazil were not just unhappy with the treatment meted out to Neymar, but also Switzerland’s equaliser when the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system failed to rule out Steven Zuber’s equaliser for a slight push on Miranda. The Brazilian federation even took their complaints to FIFA.

Needing a break and to relieve the pressure with a win, Brazil could hardly have picked better opposition in Los Ticos, who have only beaten Brazil once in 10 meetings way back in 1960.

Costa Rica shocked England, Italy and Uruguay to reach the quarter-finals four years ago, but are even more in need of the points after losing 1-0 to Serbia in their opening game.

They also lost heavily to Belgium and England in warm-up friendlies, but captain Bryan Ruiz believes they can follow Switzerland’s example to cause another massive upset.

“Switzerland pressed them in midfield and that’s what you need to do because everybody knows that Brazil are best from midfield going forward,” said the Sporting Lisbon attacker.

“We need to win the ball back quickly and counter-attack quickly.”

Five days after his hat-trick rescued Portugal in an opening 3-3 draw against Spain, Ronaldo’s fourth-minute header clinched a 1-0 victory over Group B opponents Morocco in Moscow.

Three previous tournaments yielded a return of just three goals for the five-time world player of the year, but Ronaldo is taking Russia by storm after netting four times in two matches.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is like a port wine, he changes as he ages,” said Santos. “He’s constantly evolving, unlike regular players he’s always evolving.

“He won’t be doing the same thing in two or three years and he’s not doing what he did four or five years ago. He knows himself well and knows what he needs to do.”

Ronaldo bagged a staggering 15 goals in European World Cup qualifying as Portugal reeled off nine consecutive wins to seal a fifth consecutive appearance.

It is likely to be a fourth and final World Cup for the 33-year-old, although he is showing little sign of decline after a fourth Champions League title in five seasons with Real Madrid.

Portugal reached the semi-finals in 2006, losing to a Zinedine Zidane penalty against France, but exited in the last 16 four years later before crashing out at the group stage in Brazil.

Ronaldo is intent on leaving his mark on this tournament, two years after helping Portugal to a first major title at Euro 2016.

“He’s a fantastic player. There are no words to describe him,” said Portugal team-mate Bernardo Silva.

“If he isn’t the best player in history, he’s at least one of them. He’s a fantastic player who tries to show it every time.”

Morocco boss Herve Renard had warned of the challenge in shutting down Ronaldo, but despite fortifying his defence the Portugal captain made the decisive breakthrough.

“Even if you want to draw up plans for Ronaldo, he always finds a way out,” Renard had said on the eve of the contest.

“He’s absolutely exceptional. Perhaps that word isn’t even strong enough.”

Morocco defender Mehdi Benatia claimed his side proved they belong at the World Cup after a 20-year absence, but the Juventus centre-back conceded there was simply no answer to Ronaldo.

“We held our own against the European champions,” Benatia said. “They have big names, stars, everything you want.”

“We gave it everything but you saw (the ball) just didn’t want to go in,” he added.

“Unfortunately they have someone like Cristiano Ronaldo who is capable of scoring with a half-chance.”

Third seed Thiem, French Open runner-up to Rafael Nadal earlier this month, was joined on the sidelines of the pre-Wimbledon tuneup by Japanese seventh seed Kei Nishikori, a 6-2, 6-2 loser to Karen Khachanov.

In 2017, the 36th-ranked Russian also beat Asia’s top player in the second round at Halle, when Nishikori was forced to quit with a hip injury.

Thiem switched over to grass this week and came to the court with a first-round win in northern Germany at a venue styled as a smaller replica of the All England club’s iconic Centre Court at Wimbledon.

“Sugita played really well, and gave me little chance to attack,” Thiem said. “I was missing a few percentage points on my game.

“I was not great on returns and was sruggling on serve. He completely deserved the victory.”

The Austrian was on the back foot early as he lost the opening set to his 52nd-ranked opponent.

Sugita was unable to convert on three match points but hammered his sixth ace to claim victory on a fourth after 88 minutes.

The Japanese will be playing a grass court quarter-final for the second time in his career when he takes on American qualifier Denis Kudla, who defeated Greek teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4.

Against Thiem, who leads the ATP with 36 match wins this season, Sugita kept up the pressure on his rival’s serve, forcing the Austrian to save 10 of 13 break points before dropping serve in the last game.

Thiem will return to Austria for five days of rest and fly to London in midweek.

However, he remains unconcerned with the state of his grass game after also losing in Halle in the second round a year ago before reaching a career-best Wimbledon fourth round.

“Last year I played the same as I did this year and played well at Wimbledon. I would have rather done much better,” added Thiem.

“But margins are much tighter on grass. If you have a bad day you can’t dig it out like I can on clay. If I don’t play at 100 per cent — like today — the match is lost.”

Nishikori has a mixed record at the Wimbledon tune-up event, dominated over the past decade and a half by Roger Federer with nine titles.

The world number 27 Japanese is coming back from wrist injury problems and working to rebuild his ranking, which once placed him firmly in the Top 10.

He began 2018 by playing a lower-level Challenger tournament before returning to the ATP in February.

The 28-year-old reached the Halle semi-finals in 2014 and 2015 but also exited injured in 2016 and a year ago, when he quit against Khachanov trailing 3-2 in the first set.

“I made too many unforced errors, I had a lot of mistakes,” Nishikori said.

“He was playing good, but nothing special, I couldn’t make a first serve and I should have stayed back more at the baseline.

“Khachanov hits a flat ball and that makes it not so easy on grass. I need to train more before Wimbledon.”

Khachanov advanced to a Friday quarter-final against Spanish fourth seed Roberto Bautista Agut, a 6-4, 7-5 winner over Dutchman Robin Haase.

Khachanov managed seven aces against his Japanese opponent, who was broken four times.

The victory in Kazan puts the 2010 winners on course for the last 16, but Iran had an equaliser disallowed for a narrow offside.

“We have three points… but it was very difficult and complex game. Both halves were very tough,” said Hierro.

“We started well, with good pace, but Iran are a very tough team, it’s very difficult to score against them.”

Costa, who scored twice in a 3-3 opening draw with Portugal in Sochi, courted controversy early in the Group B encounter when he stepped on the toes of Iran ‘keeper Ali Beiranvand.

His gesture went unpunished, and the Atletico Madrid striker required another stroke of luck on 54 minutes when his shot came off Ramin Rezaeian to beat Beiranvand after he had been sent through by Andres Iniesta.

Spain’s coach Fernando Hierro 

Just before the hour mark, the entire Iranian bench poured onto the pitch when Saeid Ezatolahi fired an equaliser for Iran.

But the thousands of Iranian supporters that filled the stadium with the sound of vuvuzelas throughout were left disappointed when it was ruled out for offside.

With three points from two matches, Iran still have a chance of qualifying if they can get a result against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal on Monday.

– ‘Can be proud’ –

Iran coach Carlos Queiroz hailed the bravery of his side and pledged they would fight to make the last 16.

“We left the pitch 1-0 down, but we won respect. I’m sure the fans are proud of our team,” said Queiroz.

“Our players can go home and sit with their family and friends and be proud of themselves.

Players vie for the loose ball 

“People gave us no chance, but we still have chances to qualify for the second round. We’ll fight for our dreams.”

Hierro welcomed Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal back into the starting line-up following his recovery from a hamstring injury suffered in the Champions League final win over Liverpool.

With Lucas Vazquez replacing Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke, it gave La Roja a distinctively Real Madrid feel.

Costa got so frustrated with Iran’s defensive tactics that he approached Beiranvand and provocatively stepped on his toes, leaving the ‘keeper in visible pain.

It went unpunished by Uruguayan referee Andres Cunha, who had awarded France a historic first VAR-assisted penalty to France in their 2-1 win over Australia.

Spain resumed in more positive fashion after the break, Beiranvand forced to produce heroics twice in the space of four minutes.

But Iran refused to buckle, coming close in the final minutes when midfielder Mehdi Taremi headed just over.

Shortly after the restart an Isco corner was flicked on by Costa to Gerard Pique but his effort was cleared off the line.

Sergio Busquets’ drive from 20 yards was then parried by Beiranvand, who palmed the rebound away before Lucas Vazquez could pounce.

Some great vision from Iniesta, and a slice of luck, broke Iranian hearts when Costa spun and latched on to the ball before seeing his shot rebound off Ramin Rezaeian and into the net.

Spain, however, were still flattering to deceive.

On a rare Iranian counter-attack, goalkeeper David De Gea was left irate when Taremi was left to head a metre wide.

Moments later, the stadium erupted when Ezatolahi fired through a packed Spain area to beat De Gea, but the assistant referee’s flag was up.

In the final quarter hour Iran battled for a late equaliser, but after Vahid Amiri nutmegged Pique and fired over an inviting cross, Taremi’s thundering header flew just over the bar.

The South Americans take on the hosts in their final Group A match on June 25 with top spot on the line, while Egypt and Saudi Arabia have been eliminated after both suffered back-to-back defeats.

Russia and Uruguay will face one of the top two from Group B in the last 16 — either Portugal, Spain or Iran.

The 31-year-old Suarez, whose previous two World Cups both ended in bans after his infamous 2010 handball against Ghana and bite on Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini four years later, took advantage of a goalkeeping error by Mohammed Al-Owais to put Uruguay ahead midway through the first half.

Oscar Tabarez’s side missed plenty of opportunities to add further goals, but a toothless Saudi outfit never seriously looked like snatching a point.

Uruguay, semi-finalists eight years ago in South Africa, have now reached the knockout stage for the third straight time, while Saudi Arabia will try again in their search for a first World Cup win since 1994 in their final game against Mohamed Salah’s Egypt.

Suarez made a bright start, looking to make amends for his poor performance in the opening 1-0 win against Egypt, firing a left-footed volley from Cristian Rodriguez’s knockdown which was blocked by Ali Al-Bulayhi.

The Saudis managed to have plenty of early possession, although without looking overly threatening, only to gift Uruguay a 23rd-minute lead.

Al-Owais — winning only his second cap after replacing Abdullah Al-Muaiouf in goal — completely missed a floated Carlos Sanchez corner and Suarez tapped in his 52nd international goal unmarked at the back post.

That strike was Suarez’s sixth World Cup goal and made him the first Uruguayan to score in three separate finals.

Juan Antonio Pizzi’s Saudi Arabia continued to look far more assured on the ball than they did in the 5-0 drubbing by Russia on the opening day of the tournament, with Hatan Bahbri firing a wild volley over shortly after seeing a long-range effort tipped away by Fernando Muslera.

Uruguay began the second period with greater purpose, and Suarez came close to a second when Al-Owais palmed clear his low free-kick.

The three points and a last-16 spot should have been wrapped up just after the hour mark, but Sanchez headed over when unmarked at the back post from a wonderful Edinson Cavani cross.

The South Americans continued to be wasteful in front of goal, as Martin Caceres sent a header flying off target from the 33-year-old Sanchez’s free-kick.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Cavani came close to emulating Suarez by scoring in a third World Cup, but his low shot was smothered by the onrushing Al-Owais.

Uruguay showed all their know-how and experience, though, as Atletico Madrid defensive pair Jose Gimenez and Diego Godin helped see out the closing moments with ease.

“Our expectation is to continue our work and try to improve in the group phase,” Ronaldo said after his fourth-minute strike decided a hard-fought encounter in Moscow.

“We’re almost there (knockout stages) and then we’ll see. We’ll take things match after match. We will try to come first in the group.”

Ronaldo surpassed Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas as Europe’s all-time leading scorer with 85 international goals as Portugal moved top of Group B ahead of Spain’s game against Iran in Kazan.

“We knew if we lost we could be out,” Ronaldo said. “We knew Morocco would be giving their all.

“It was a surprise at the start because they were so strong,” he added. “I managed to score a goal, it was great for me.”

Morocco altered their tactics from their 1-0 loss to Iran, deploying a back four to try and counter the threat of Ronaldo following his hat-trick against Spain in the opening game.

But Herve Renard’s plans were torn apart within minutes at the Luzhniki Stadium as Ronaldo wriggled free of the imposing Manuel Da Costa to bury an unstoppable header.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is like a port wine, he changes as he ages,” said Portugal coach Fernando Santos. “He’s constantly evolving, unlike regular players he’s always evolving.

“He won’t be doing the same thing in two or three years and he’s not doing what he did four or five years ago. He knows himself well and what he needs to do.”

Ronaldo’s goal was his fourth goal of the tournament, more than his combined tally at three previous finals, and left him trailing just Iran’s Ali Daei (109) on the list of top international scorers.

But Portugal survived two Morocco penalty appeals and the north Africans created a number of chances, notably a Younes Belhanda header that was superbly kept out by Rui Patricio.

– ‘Anxiety’ –

It was far from a convincing Portuguese display and Santos admitted nerves played a factor, insisting they cannot overlook Iran in their final group game on June 25.

“There was a lot of anxiety because it’s a World Cup, our team is a strong team but we have to grow,” Santos said.

“We did well defensively, but we need more than that. We have to continue pushing forward and have to change certain things and get more of the ball.”

“Nothing is set in stone,” he added. “The important thing is the Iran game. Our first aim is to get out the group stage because there are very unpredictable results. Only then do you focus on the next stage which is all or nothing as a knockout.”

For Morocco, a second successive defeat condemned them to an early exit in their first World Cup appearance since 1998.

“I’m not disappointed about the performance,” Renard said. “I’m very happy with the performance. I’m very proud of my players, very proud of this country, very proud of everybody.”

“We played an attacking style against a team that excels on the counter so you have to task risks,” he added. “We took a lot but we weren’t rewarded.”

Renard said Morocco will attempt to bow out with “flying colours” against Spain next Monday, as he reflected fondly on his time in charge of the Atlas Lions.

“Two years ago we started a new journey, we were ranked 81st. I think we are ranked 41st now.” said the Frenchman, who took over in February 2016.

“We qualified for the World Cup after 20 years and showed we can play football.”