World Cup Results 2018: Thursday's Scores and Updated Group Standings

Argentina's 2018 FIFA World Cup hopes hang by a thread after they fell 3-0 to Croatia on Thursday, with Zlatko Dalic's side booking their place in the knockout stages as they sit five points clear in Group D.

Ante Rebic, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic were the scorers for the European upstarts, who excelled in the second half while Jorge Sampaoli's tactics appeared to be a major stumbling block for Argentina.

Earlier Thursday, France secured their spot in the World Cup round of 16 and beat Group C opponents Peru 1-0, a result that also made Peru the first South Americans to cement their exit from the competition.

Kylian Mbappe found the back of the net in what was another fairly stale outing from Les Bleus, although manager Didier Deschamps will care only for the fact his side are into the next phase of the contest in Russia.

Denmark couldn't hold onto their lead against Australia, and Mile Jedinak again scored from the spot to yield their first point of the World Cup, drawing 1-1 after Christian Eriksen's half-volley opened the scoring.

Read on for a roundup of Thursday's scores from the World Cup in Russia, complete with a breakdown of the results and the latest group standings.

Thursday's Results

Denmark 1-1 Australia

France 1-0 Peru

Argentina 0-3 Croatia

Group Standings (Goal Difference)

Group C

1. France (a): 6 (+2)

2. Denmark: 4 (+1)

3. Australia: 1 (-1)

4. Peru (e): 0 (-2)

Group D

1. Croatia (a): 6 (+5)

2. Iceland: 1 (0)

3. Argentina: 1 (-3)

4. Nigeria: 0 (-2)

(a) denotes a team that's qualified for the next round. (e) denotes a team that's been eliminated from the tournament. Visit the official FIFA website for the full standings.

Recap

Croatia compounded Argentinian fears Thursday with a resolute display against one of the heavyweights of world football, soundly outdoing their South American foes in a patient win that included two goals in the last 10 minutes.

Argentina No. 1 Willy Caballero gifted Rebic Croatia's first—though the winger's finish was still super—and Modric sealed the scoreline on 83 minutes with a long-range curler. Rakitic scored in an empty net in injury time as Croatia's progress was confirmed:

Take nothing away from the Croats, who were much better organised and had a recognised formation all players were accustomed to coming into the clash, but Argentina's setup made it impossible for them to get out of first gear.

Writer Raphael Honigstein aimed praise at the tactics of Dalic, while Argentina's approach was one of disarray:

France struggled to develop a head of steam when they beat Australia 2-1 in their opening match, and the same could be said for Thursday's 1-0 edging of Peru, whose defeat confirmed their group-stage departure.

Mbappe, 19, became his country's youngest ever World Cup goalscorer when he got on the end of a deflected Olivier Giroud cut-back, per ESPN FC, although writer Jonny Sharples was far from inspired by the performance:

As was the case with the winning strike against Australia, helped on by a touch from Paul Pogba, France were somewhat fortunate to overcome a side that ESPN's Michael Cox didn't want to see leave:

But while Peru's exit is now a certainty, Group C's greatest underdogs, Australia, remained in with a shout after Jedinak converted his second penalty in as many games, this time with a point as his reward.

Nicolai Jorgensen pulled back for Eriksen to execute a sumptuous half-volley after only seven minutes, and Goal's Nizaar Kinsella broke down the pool landscape after each team had played two games:

It's not the first time we've seen Tottenham Hotspur's Eriksen grab the match by the scruff of the neck with a piece of technical splendour, and Peter Schmeichel hailed his compatriot's magnificent contribution:

Australia are yet to score a goal from open play at the World Cup but could find their way into the round of 16 if they beat Peru by a big enough margin Tuesday and France stop Denmark.