France, Denmark Advance to Knockout Round of 2018 World Cup After 0-0 Draw

France topped Group C, and Denmark secured their place in the first knockout round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, as they played out a drab 0-0 draw at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on Tuesday.

Both sides knew ahead of the fixture that a point would be mutually beneficial, and neither showed any real ambition to secure a victory.   

The second half was a slight improvement on the opening 45 minutes, with substitute Nabil Fekir finally showing some positivity. But France and Denmark eventually settled for the first goalless draw of the tournament. 

Disappointing France Must Lift Level of Play in Knockout Stage

France's squad depth is phenomenal, as was illustrated on Tuesday from the quality side manager Didier Deschamps put out despite making six changes, per BBC 5 Live Sport:

Les Bleus' seeming unwillingness to contest for all three points against Denmark, though, meant there was little to glean from the substitutes' performances.

Even Antoine Griezmann, who is often the sparkling performer for France, showed little ambition, and he certainly did not seem prepared to bring team-mate Olivier Giroud into the game, per Goal:

The Chelsea man did little to reciprocate either, Ryan O'Hanlon of The Ringer:

Griezmann was eventually hooked for Fekir 22 minutes from time and will need to show more of his best in the knockout rounds.

That is the case for most of the French side, who ended an underwhelming group-stage campaign with a goalless draw and one-goal wins over Peru and Australia.

France could have laid down a marker with a convincing win over Denmark in Moscow, and Griezmann could have made a move on the leading contenders for the Golden Boot.

Instead, they eased through the group in unremarkable fashion, per The Independent's Miguel Delaney:

That does not mean France will not go deep in, and perhaps even win, the tournament. But they have to start living up to their potential rather than playing within themselves. 

Denmark Not Built to Get Out of Round of 16

Denmark can hardly be blamed for lacking ambition on Tuesday.

They knew a point would be enough to secure their passage to the last 16, and even a defeat would have been acceptable, as Australia lost 2-0 to Peru.

However, the fact that they did not even try to take the game to a much-changed France side and look to get a win that would have seen them top the group is indicative of a side that has flattered to deceive so far in this tournament.

The Danes were fortunate to beat Peru in their opener and clung on for a point in a 1-1 draw against the Socceroos.

No matter who they face in the last 16, it seems likely that will be as far as they go at Russia 2018.

Other than Christian Eriksen, Denmark boast little in terms of invention and do not look to have enough to become a quarter-final side at the 2018 World Cup.

Lack of Ambition Results in World Cup's First Goalless Draw

It took until Day 13 of the tournament, but France's clash with Denmark finally saw a goalless draw at the 2018 World Cup.

In truth, the clash had 0-0 written all over it almost from kick-off, with both sides knowing a point would be enough and neither showing any real attacking intent.

Per WhoScored.com, the stats at half-time told much of the story:

Some changes from Deschamps in the second half added a little more excitement—especially Fekir, who seemed to have missed the memo about playing for a draw:

It is hardly the first time in World Cup history that two sides have played out a result that benefited them both.

But, in a tournament that has been incident-packed and goal-filled, Tuesday's tedious encounter stuck out. 

What's Next?

After finishing second in Group C, Denmark will play their last-16 clash in Nizhny Novgorod on Sunday, likely against Croatia.

Meanwhile, France's first knockout game will be at the Kazan Arena on Saturday, and there is a possibility they will be up against Lionel Messi's Argentina.