Germany was stunned by Mexico in its opener and entered Wednesday in danger of exiting the tournament in the group stage for the first time. Spain stumbled to two draws in group play and Brazil needed a pair of goals in stoppage time to beat Costa Rica, which doesn’t have a point here.
For Denmark, a spot in the second round is a breakthrough. The Danes, who haven’t gotten that far in a World Cup since 2002, will play Croatia next week.
Not to worry, said Deschamps, a World Cup champion in 1998. In the knockout round, everything starts over.