Welcome to Sportstar’s highlights of the FIFA World Cup Group D clash between France vs Denmark. This was Nihit Sachdeva taking you through the action as it unfolded at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar.
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Denmark put up a strong fight against defending champion but once again, Kylian Mbappe rose to the occasion for Didier Deschamps’ team when it mattered the most. Despite losing a significant number of players including Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema due to injury, France has sealed a spot in the round of 16 with two wins in its first two group stage matches.
For Denmark, the road to the knockout round has become tougher as it sits at the third spot in the group. The Danes will face Australia in their final group match and not only do they have to beat the Socceroos but also hope that Tunisia is unable to pull off an upset against France.
Final whistle. France breaks the defending champion’s curse, which started in 1998, to confirm its spot in the round of 16 with its final group-stage match yet to be played.
Eriksen takes the ball into the French box from the right but Bah eventually clears it, putting it into the other half of the pitch. France looking to run down the clock now.
France too makes a substitution as Griezmann is replaced by Fofana.
Denmark sends in Alexander Bah for Kristensen.
Six minutes of added time. France is ever so close to confirming its spot in the round of 16.
Mbappe scores his 14th goal in last 12 games for the national side. He also moves ahead of Thierry Henry (6) in terms of World Cup goals.
The French forward puts defending champion ahead once again!!! It was Denmark which had been pushing for the winner in the last couple of minutes but Les Blues have the lead again. Griezmann with the cross from the right finds Mbappe at the far post who slots it in with his knee. There is an offside check but the goal stands.
Into the last five minutes of regulation time. Lindstrom comes off as he is replaced by Norgaard.
Collision between teammates Rabiot and Tchouameni as they both go for the ball.
Braithwaite comes close!!! Denmark pushing for the winner and Braithwaite’s tap-in just goes wide of Lloris’ near post.
Another French corner. Griezmann sends it in, Schmeichel punches it out but France gets the ball back into the box from the left, Rabiot goes for the scissor kick at the far post and the ball just misses the target.
Corner for France. Thuram’s header at the near post takes a deflection from Maehle’s back and goes out for another corner.
Mbappe wins a corner as Kristensen puts the ball behind while blocking the French forward. Griezmann’s corner kick is cleared by Denmark at the near post.
Double substitution for France. Konate and Coman replace Varane and Dembele. Fresh legs on the pitch.
Lloris saves!!! Terrific play from Denmark on the left wing. Sweet strike from Lindstrom and a brilliant reflex save from the French skipper. Substitution for Denmark as Dolberg comes on for Damsgaard.
Well, that changes the equation. Wonderful comeback from Denmark and this nicely sets up the final quarter of the match.
Excellent from Denmark! Corner from Eriksen finds Andersen at the near post who heads it into the middle and a charging Christensen heads the ball into the back of the net.
Denmark a bit more aggressive now. Cross sent into the box from the right and France struggles to clear it away.
Mbappe has now as many as World Cup goals (6) as the great Thierry Henry. As it stands, France is through to the round of 16 with a match to spare. Substitution for France as Thuram comes on for Giroud.
France staves off the pressure from the Danes near its own box before launching a devastating counter attack. Hernandez and Mbappe take the ball forward down the left wing, Hernandez with the cut back and Mbappe with a first-time finish from his right foot to send the ball past Schmeichel.
Aerial ball for Griezmann from Kounde. The Atletico Madrid forward chests it down delightfully but the left-footed strike goes over the bar. What a chance!
Foul by Kristensen on Theo Hernandez.
Sensational solo effort from Mbappe who twists and turns to take the ball forward and eventually into the Danish box before hitting it with his right foot. Schmeichel punches it above the bar for a corner.
Another corner for the Danes as the final touch before the ball goes out comes from Hernandez. Eriksen sends the ball in, initially cleared away by the French defence but the ball finds its way back into the box. Braithwaite gets the ball in front of the ball but the offside flag is up.
Dembele sees Mbappe’s run through the middle and sends the ball forward but Schmeichel steps out of his box and clears it away before Mbappe could get to it.
Corner kick taken by Denmark but no harm done. Lloris catches the ball after a weak header from a Danish player at the far post.
Braithwaite wins a corner for Denmark as he hits the ball into Varane’s feet before it goes out.
France on the counter-attack after threat from Denmark inside its box. Griezmann releases Mbappe on the right wing but eventually, the ball is gathered by Schmeichel.
Rabiot loses possession in the Danish half. Cross from Eriksen from the left wing but no Danish player gets to it inside the French box.
Mbappe lobs the ball into the Danish box from the left, Rabiot’s first touch is a bit heavy and it allows Danish defence to clear the ball away.
Second half underway! Denmark to play from left to right and France from right to left. Substitution for Denmark as Braithwaite replaces Cornelius.
First half ends. It’s been a half of few opportunities. Will either team be able to find a higher gear in the second half?
Last minute of first half. One last charge from France. Mbappe puts the ball into the box from the left and it hits Giroud’s head before going out of the box.
Mbappe puts in a cross from the left wing but finds no French head at the end of it. Goal-kick for Denmark.
Three minutes of added time.
A tame long-range effort from Eriksen and Lloris simply lets it go behind for a goal-kick.
Kounde actually caught Nelsson’s right ankle and the Danish centre-back receives treatment before getting back up on his feet.
Nasty collision between Kounde and Nelsson on the right wing as the French team looked to take the ball forward. Kounde receives a yellow card.
Dembele with the cut back from the right finds Mbappe in the middle of the Danish box but the French striker hits it over the bar with his right foot.
Hojbjerg with a long cross to Kristensen on the right of the French box. Kristensen takes the ball inside the box and hits it across the goal with no Danish player goes for a tap-in.
Giroud’s header goes wide! Cross from Dembele from the right to Mbappe on the left who puts it into the box. Giroud rises up well enough but misses the far post.
Foul by Cornelius on Tchouameni. Free kick to France. Griezmann sends it in but the Danish defence clears it before going for the counter. It’s two Danish players against four French defenders. Cornelius with the right-footed strike sends the shot wide of Lloris’ near post.
One-two between Griezmann and Giroud on the left wing. Griezmann with the ball inside the box hits it at the near post and Schmeichel clears it away with his feet.
Lindstrom tries to win a corner from the duel with Upamecano on the right side of the French box but the final touch comes from the Danish player himself. Goal-kick to France.
Mbappe takes the ball into the Danish box from the left, chips it to Kounde on the right who hits it. Hojbjerg clears it away.
Another throw-in for the Danish side, this time on the right of the French box but yet again, sturdy defence from France.
Throw-in for Denmark on the left side of the French box. Nothing fruitful comes from it though.
Possession stats: France - 46%, Denmark - 46%, Neither team in control - 8%
Yellow card shown to Cornelius for a foul on Giroud.
Schmeichel with a lovely save!!! The header from Rabiot was on target but the Danish goalkeeper dived to his right and parried it away.
France on the charge. Christensen takes down Mbappe who, otherwise, would have surely been in a one-on-one situation against Schmeichel. Free kick for France.
Maehle with the ball for Damsgaard inside the French box but it is cleared away.
Denmark with the ball, looking to construct something from the back.
Dembele with the cross from the right for Giroud inside the box but the French forward sends the header wide off the far post.
Griezmann with the corner kick. Maehle at the far post puts it away for safety.
Foul by Andersen on Mbappe close to the Danish box. Free kick for France. Griezmann sends it in and Cornelius puts it behind for a French corner.
Excellent stuff from Mbappe to put Hernandez through on the left. Hernandez puts in the cross, cut back from the French player at the far post but Giroud in the centre fails to make any contact whatsoever with the ball.
Mbappe puts in the cross for Griezmann from the left but the Danish defence heads the ball away.
Varane with the ball at the back. The Manchester United defender is back in the national side after a muscle injury.
Dembele turns the defence into attack. Mbappe sets it up for Dembele at the edge of the box but Dembele’s shot is easily blocked by the Danish defender marking him.
Mbappe loses possession close to the Danish box who are now on the charge. Kristensen from the right wing tries to put Cornelius through but the ball goes past him.
Denmark has made four changes to its starting lineup from the match against Tunisia. France too has made a couple of changes, one of them being a forced one as Lucas Hernandez is ruled out of the rest of the tournament due to injury.
KICK OFF!!! France, in blue, plays from left to right and Denmark, in white, plays from right to left.
9:25PM - The two teams are out on the pitch for the national anthems. Live action begins shortly!
9:20PM - History beckons for Giroud!
Kylian Mbappe (L) and Olivier Giroud during warm up. Giroud needs one goal to become the all-time top scorer for France. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES
9:10PM - Earlier in the day, Australia beat Tunisia 1-0, which means France confirms round of 16 spot with a win over Denmark tonight.
9PM - Looks like there is no scope for surprise today.
8:50PM - STAT
If France wins today, it would the first nation ever since Spain in 2010 to have won six consecutive World Cup matches.
8:45PM - FORM GUIDE
France
- Beat Australia 4-1
- Lost 0-2 to Denmark
- Beat Austria 2-0
- Lost 0-1 to Croatia
- Drew 1-1 with Austria
Denmark
- Drew 0-0 with Tunisia
- Beat France 2-0
- Lost 1-2 to Croatia
- Beat Austria 2-0
- Lost 0-1 to Croatia
8:35PM - Head-to-head record
Played: 16 | France: 8 | Denmark: 6| Draws: 2
8:20PM - ICYMI, here’s a recap of the matches played on Friday
8:15PM - Lineups!
France - Hugo Lloris (GK & C), Jules Kounde, Raphael Varane, Dayot Upamecano, Theo Hernandez, Adrien Rabiot, Aurelien Tchouameni, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele, Olivier Giroud, Kylian Mbappe
Denmark - Kasper Schmeichel (GK & C), Joachim Andersen, Victor Nelsson, Andreas Christensen, Rasmus Kristensen, Pierre Hojbjerg, Christian Eriksen, Joakim Maehle, Jesper Lindstrom, Andreas Cornelius, Mikkel Damsgaard
PREVIEW (via Reuters)
Olivier Giroud will bid to become France’s all-time top scorer when it faces Denmark in Group D at the World Cup on Saturday, with ‘Les Blues’ looking for a victory that will take it into the round of 16 with a game to spare in Qatar.
Target man Giroud is level with Thierry Henry on 51 goals after scoring twice in the 4-1 win against Australia on Tuesday.
“Titi, I’m coming for you,” Giroud joked after the Australia game, during which he benefited from the impressive work of Kylian Mbappe.
Predicted XI
While the defending champion got its campaign off to a convincing start there will be no complacency going into the match against Denmark. Didier Deschamps’ side lost its last two meetings with the Danes in the Nations League.
Attacking players Mbappe, Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele all started against Australia but Deschamps may be tempted to take a more cautious approach on Saturday.
“We saw that there are no small teams in modern football. We saw it against Denmark,” said Dembele, his memory fresh from the two recent losses against the Danes.
In central defence, Deschamps might be able to call upon the experienced Raphael Varane as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury while Theo Hernandez should start at left back after his brother Lucas was ruled out of the competition with a knee injury.
Denmark was held to a scoreless draw against Tunisia in its opener and manager Kasper Hjulmand said it would have to up the tempo against France.
“If you’re not speeding up against France, you’re probably in trouble ... we must step up, but we are ready to do it, to find ourselves again,” Hjulmand told reporters.
Danish captain Simon Kjaer will be tasked with keeping Giroud quiet.
“I wish the best of Ollie, but hopefully I have an advantage,” he said. “Ollie is also one of the best strikers in the box in my opinion, probably underrated as a striker.”
The Danes will be missing midfielder Thomas Delaney, who suffered a knee injury in the first half against Tunisia and has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament.
WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH
When will the France vs Denmark match kick-off?
The France vs Denmark match will kick-off at 9:30PM IST, November 26.
Where will the France vs Denmark match kick-off?
The France vs Denmark match will kick-off at Stadium 974.
Where can you watch the France vs Denmark match in India?
The France vs Denmark match will be telecasted live on Sports18 and Sports18 HD. On Android and well as iOS, the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be live streamed on JioCinema.
Where can you watch the France vs Denmark match outside India?
United States – TV: FOX, Telemundo; Live Stream: fuboTV, Fox Sports app, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo
Canada – TV: CTV, TSN; Live Stream: fuboTV, TSN app
United Kingdom – TV: BBC One; Live Stream: BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Website
Australia – TV: SBS; Live Stream: SBS On Demand
New Zealand – TV: Sky Sports; Live Stream: Sky Sport
Malaysia – TV: RTM, Astro; Live Stream: Astro Go
Singapore – TV: Mediacorp Channel 5; Live Stream: StarHub TV+, IPTV, Singtel TV
Hong Kong – TV: BeIN Sports, ITV; Live Stream: Now TV, ViuTV
Nigeria – SuperSport and Showmax Pro.
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