France overcame Denmark with a great collective performance and Mbappé’s show; Australia is still alive in the group.
In one of the most anticipated games of the World Cup group stage, France and Denmark had a good tactical duel and opportunities this Saturday.
With the attempt to advance to the round of 16, France entered with Koundé and Theo Hernández on the wings and Varane in the defence. That is, changing virtually all players on the defensive line. From midfield to attack, the formation was the same from the debut.
On the other hand, Denmark changed its entire offensive system. Eriksen played alongside Hojbjerg, opening up a spot for Cornelius to act as an attacking point of reference. Lindstrom and Damsgaard were the wingers.
In the first half, the Danish team opted to keep less possession of the ball with the 5-4-1 formation in the defensive field, reducing the spaces of the French in the final third of the field.
However, France achieved a huge show of strength against a strong opponent by creating danger in several ways. Dembélé open, Mbappé inside and Theo Hernández accelerating on the counterattacks were the main weapons in the attack.
On the other hand, Denmark had problems in the progression through the field, exchanging passes between the defenders, in unproductive ball possession. Within 30 minutes of the first half, the official broadcast showed a negative statistic: no finalization.
Even so, France failed to take advantage in the first half due to a conservative most of the time. Denmark used 5 players against 7 opponents in moments of pressure and Eriksen annulled Griezmann.
In the second half, France’s main path was with long balls on the opponent’s back and acceleration on the ends. After several shots, the French opened the scoring thanks to Aurélien Tchouaméni’s tackle and a ten-second transition between Theo Hernandez and Mbappé, who scored a beautiful goal.
However, Denmark reacted with greater use of wingers and higher pressure, seeking the equalizer with Andreas Christensen, making the final stretch extremely competitive.
With more spaces on the field, France managed to capitalize in the final minutes with another goal from Mbappé and great collaboration from Griezmann, two players who condition any match in favour of the French.
France’s victory in one of the most anticipated matches of this group stage ensured early qualification for the round of 16. On the other hand, Denmark needs to beat Australia. Despite the better technical level, offensive production remains a concern.
TUNISIA 0-1 AUSTRALIA
The other Group D match on Saturday was Australia’s 1-0 victory over Tunisia, courtesy of Mitchell Duke’s opportunistic header in the first half.
Australia got off to a better start in the opening minutes with Duke and McGree closing the spaces inside, preventing the defenders from finding Skhiri, a better player at destroying offensive plays.
With the move to the four-man lineup, Skhiri gained more spaces and started participating more in the defensive line. In the second half, Tunisia occupied the offensive field more, but Australia protected the penalty area with a great performance by Harry Souttar.
In the last round, Australia will need to beat Denmark next Wednesday. On the other hand, Tunisia needs a victory against France, which already qualified for the round of 16.
