France, the defending World Cup champions, defeated Denmark 2-1 at the 974 Stadium on Saturday to advance as the first team into the round of 16. Kylian Mbappe capped an electrifying individual performance with two goals in the second half.
France vs Denmark 2-1
France now leads the group with six points thanks to Mbappe’s goals, three more than Australia, which earlier in the day defeated Tunisia 1-0. Denmark and Tunisia are tied for last place with one point each. The initial goal has been accomplished, “In a post-game TV interview, French coach Didier Deschamps stated on their qualification. “This squad is powerful, dependable, and eager to do great things. On Wednesday, France will play Tunisia, and Denmark will play the Socceroos. The Danes must win to advance.
France got off to a cautious start after suffering two losses to Denmark during the most recent Nations League campaign. But it didn’t take them long to realize that taking on the Danish wingbacks offered opportunities. Every time Mbappe went one-on-one with Rasmus Kristensen on the other flank, Ousmane Dembele tormented Joakim Maehle, and a wave of excitement swept through the stadium, which is constructed out of 974 recycled shipping containers.
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While Denmark was pushed into many last-ditch stops in the first half, France had the better opportunities thanks to Adrien Rabiot’s close header and the Danes’ Andreas Cornelius shot that just missed the target. Mbappe gave the French the lead in the 61st minute by capping a brilliant high-speed French attack with a bouncing first-time goal from Theo Hernandez’s deft pull-back. Their defensive resilience was short-lived. Defender Andreas Christensen, who is dangerous from set pieces and equalized for Denmark seven minutes later, snuck in behind the defense and stooped to head in Denmark’s first shot on goal.
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