Australia joins France in advancing from Group D at World Cup
AL WAKRAH, Qatar (AP) — Australia superior to the spherical of 16 on the World Cup, beating favoured Denmark 1-0 Wednesday on Mathew Leckie’s Sixtieth-minute aim.
It is Australia’s first time within the knockout stage since 2006, the one different time they superior out of the group stage.
Leckie took a go close to the middle circle and moved round a Danish defender earlier than hitting a left-footed shot previous goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel diving to his left.
Australia completed with six factors in Group D. Defending champion France received the group on aim distinction regardless of shedding to Tunisia 1-0 within the different group match.
The World Cup proved to be a serious disappointment for Denmark after reaching the semifinals within the 2020 European Championship. They slogged by a 0-0 draw of their opening match with Tunisia after which recovered in a 2-1 loss in opposition to France.
Denmark dominated possession by a lot of the sport however couldn’t generate sufficient probabilities.
Denmark’s Mathias Jensen had certainly one of his crew’s finest probabilities of the sport within the tenth minute, however Australia goalkeeper Matthew Ryan got here up with a point-blank save.
Referee Mustapha Ghorbal handed a yellow card early to defender Aziz Behich as Australia defended tenaciously from the beginning and counterattacked when attainable.
Australia began the second half on the entrance foot as Jackson Irvine fired a very good probability over the crossbar. But the Socceroos rapidly reverted to defending earlier than breaking by with Leckie’s aim.
On two late corners Schmeichel sprinted upfield to place himself into the combination in entrance of the aim as Denmark looked for a aim. Aussie keeper Ryan caught one nook and Schmeichel scurried again. He got here all the best way again on a second nook with a couple of minute remaining, however that try additionally amounted to nothing.
Tunisia 1, France 0
AL RAYYAN, Qatar (AP) — As France looked for a late equalizer, the gamers on Tunisia’s bench had been watching one other World Cup match on TV hoping for a aim.
Neither of them got here, giving Tunisia a momentous 1-0 win over defending champion France that also wasn’t sufficient to stop the north African crew from being eradicated.
Wahbi Khazri scored within the 58th minute Wednesday to guide Tunisia to solely its third victory at a World Cup match. But in stoppage time, the Tunisians on the sidelines had been extra within the different Group D sport, crowding round a TV display screen on the bench hoping Denmark would be capable of rating in opposition to Australia — a circumstance that will have lifted Tunisia into second place and in addition into the spherical of 16 in Qatar.
“We were praying for a Denmark goal but it never game,” Khazri stated. “But that’s the thing with soccer, you should only count on yourself. We didn’t do enough in the first two games, otherwise we’d be through.”
France ended up successful the group with six factors, forward of Australia on aim distinction. Tunisia completed with 4 factors in third place. Denmark, which misplaced to Australia 1-0, ended up in final place with one level.
It was France’s first loss on the World Cup for the reason that 2014 quarterfinals, when Germany beat the crew 1-0.
Khazri broke the impasse early within the second half, working on the coronary heart of the French protection and beating two gamers earlier than poking the ball into the underside nook.
He fell to his knees in celebration and was mobbed by teammates. When he bought again up, he made a coronary heart form to the Tunisian followers behind the aim after which limped off, showing to harm himself as he fell when scoring his twenty fifth worldwide aim and his third at World Cups.
France ahead Antoine Griezmann thought he had evened the rating within the eighth minute of stoppage time however he was dominated offside following a video evaluate.
A couple of minutes after Khazri’s aim, a person ran onto the sphere at Education City Stadium with what seemed to be a Palestinian flag. He did some acrobatic jumps earlier than six safety officers dragged him off.
With France already certified for the knockout stage, coach Didier Deschamps rested Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé and most of his common starters. Only 4 of the crew lining up at first had even began a World Cup match earlier than.
Khazri stated he didn’t imagine France was disrespecting Tunisia by fielding such a weakened crew.
“A lack of respect? No. (Aurelien) Tchouameni plays for Real Madrid and so does (Eduardo) Camavinga,” Khazri stated. “It’s an honour to play against them. I grew up in a little corner of Corsica that nobody’s ever heard of, so it’s amazing for me to play at the World Cup.”
Khazri’s aim, nevertheless, prompted Deschamps to carry on Mbappé and Griezmann and the elevated urgency nearly led to an equalizer.
Deschamps had chosen extra of a “C” crew than a “B” crew. Randal Kolo Muani struggled to make an affect at a middle ahead and Kingsley Coman — who scored Bayern Munich’s winner within the 2020 Champions League closing — was remoted.
France central defender Raphael Varane, nevertheless, mopped up on the events Tunisia bought near the penalty space within the first half.
RARE APPEARANCE
With goalkeeper Hugo Lloris among the many rested, 37-year-old Steve Mandanda performed solely the second World Cup match of his lengthy profession. The different was additionally within the crew’s third group sport 4 years in the past.
Mandanda’s look means Lloris should wait a bit of longer to equal defender Lilian Thuram’s nationwide report of 142 appearances. Lloris has made 141 appearances for Les Bleus.
Striker Olivier Giroud additionally needs to be affected person. He nonetheless has 51 objectives, equal with Thierry Henry as France’s all-time main scorer.
