Australia Now Has a Love-Hate Relationship with the VAR

The VAR gods tooketh away, so the Socceroos figured it was about damn time they gaveth.

Or something like that.

Australia wound up on the wrong end of a Virtual Assistant Referee ruling in their devastating 2-1 loss to France after a valiant 90 minutes of defiance against one of the World Cup's more fashionable sides.

After being denied in a match where they did everything but get a point, the Aussies absolutely needed something on their ledger against Denmark, and they got it, complements of a VAR review.

 

With Peru's disappointing performance already knocking them outta bracket consideration, Group C's second qualifying slot has become an unlikely battle between an under-the-radar Danish side and a never-go-quietly crew from Down Under.

A Danish win would book their place into the Round of 16. An Australian victory would mean anything could happen on the two teams' last group match. 

If Hamlet is any indication, Danes are into drama.

Here, though, they'd have preferred to avoid it. Dudes did their best but didn't quite get there.

It only took until the 7th minute for Christian Eriksen to do his bit via a nifty half-volley from inside the box:

 

Now, that's how to start a match.

The game seemed to be much more urgent for the Danish in the first half -- and they had chances to score more -- but like Yorick, they were unlucky in the end.

 

 

Exactly, who talks to a skull?

Except maybe the Danes after watching the VAR turn against them.

 

Australia was still seething from what they considered to be an outrageous replay call against France, but that didn't dampen their agressiveness with true abandon.

Especially as they needed a least a point to stay alive in the competition, and if it arises as a result of chaos, so be it.

Mile Jedinak was the key player in a scrum inside Denmark's area, driving a dangerous header that Danish Dynamiter -- their term: Danske Dynamit -- Yussuf Poulsen handled as much outta self-defense as anything. Replay, though, is unforgiving.

1-1, and so much for 571 unbeaten minutes for Kasper Schmeichel in international football.

The second half was a wash, so may as well fast-forward ...

 

... and ...

 

But not in Group C.

 

The Danes need a point to go through without any help. That's the good news.

The bad news is it's gotta come against France.

Dudes may be having more chats with the likes of Yorick yet.