MOSCOW — For 37 games, the one certainty at this World Cup had been goals. Every game had produced at least one: a powerful header, a slick backheel, a well-shaped free kick. Mexican goals and Brazilian goals and lots and lots of Russian, Belgian and English goals.



Every team had scored at least one, save Costa Rica and Peru. And then the Peruvians put two past Australia to join the club on their way out the door on Tuesday, leaving only Costa Rica with 90 minutes left to break the seal.

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But through it all, the tournament had not produced a single scoreless tie — until Tuesday, when France and Denmark slogged through 90 torpid minutes at the Luzhniki Stadium here, and the streak — the longest without a 0-0 tie to start a World Cup in its history — was over.

Not that the French, who had already clinched a spot in the round of 16, or the Danes for that matter, will complain. Their 0-0 draw, combined with Peru’s 2-0 win over Australia, sent France through to the knockout round as the group winner, with Denmark as the runner-up.