Denmark vs France: Les Bleus finish top ahead of Denmark after stalemate

Others felt that Peru - who finished the group in third place on three points - had played by far the best football of Group C and deserved to progress at the expense of their more defense-minded rivals.

The victor of Group C will take on the runner-up of Group D (Nigeria's section) in the Round of 16 in Kazan on Saturday 30th June, while the victor of Group D will play the runner-up of Group C in Nizhny Novgorod on Sunday 1st July.

He said: "We just needed one point, right?"

Denmark could have only been denied qualification had they lost to France and had Australia beaten Peru in the match being simultaneously played in Sochi.

Griezmann set up Giroud, but a late offside flag spared the blushes of the striker - scorer of Les Bleus' last three goals against Denmark - after he blazed over the crossbar.

It is a very crucial match for Denmark as the result will decide the team's future in the FIFA World Cup 2018 tournament.

Still, thousands of Denmark fans in a stadium seemed happy enough at the final whistle.

"We didn't need to take risks in the match as this result was OK for everyone". Only two teams will move on to the knockout stage starting June 30th. The 33-year-old made his first and only save in the 54th minute, spilling Christian Eriksen's free-kick before pouncing on the loose ball.

Deschamps' six changes contributed to a lack of cohesion that prevented France from ending the group stage with maximum points for the first time since they won the tournament in 1998, Antoine Griezmann struggling to link with partner Olivier Giroud. A second yellow card before the semifinals triggers a one-game ban.

The second half was a slight improvement on the opening 45 minutes, with substitute Nabil Fekir finally showing some positivity. They met a solid Danish defence content with the draw.

Denmark has a tough defense anchored by veteran captain Simon Kjaer, and a high-class goalkeeper in Kasper Schmeichel. Even the top World Cup teams will have difficulty scoring against the Danes.

Denmark gets an extra day off and plays the Group D victor, likely Croatia, on Sunday evening in Nizhny Novgorod. Their next opponents will be determined later on Tuesday when Nigeria play Argentina in Saint Petersburg, and Iceland face Croatia in Rostov-on-Don.