World Cup 2022: Tunisia defies a draw from Denmark

First zero number at WM

The World Cup insider tip Denmark has not yet fulfilled the high expectations in its first tournament game. The European semi-finalists struggled to draw 0-0 against the loudly supported outsiders Tunisia on Tuesday at the World Cup in Qatar. It wasn’t until the second half that the Danes even had chances to score. However, her appearance in Al-Rajjan remained thin. In stoppage time, a possible penalty for Denmark was considered but not awarded.

Denmark’s leading player Christian Eriksen made his first major tournament appearance 17 months after collapsing at Euro 2021. However, the Tunisians paid no heed to this moment, which was so emotional for him. Midfielder Aïssa Laïdouni tackled the Manchester United playmaker on the touchline in the first minute and celebrated the move with a cheering gesture towards the crowd.

Tens of thousands of Tunisian fans sat there – well over half of the 42,925 spectators in Education City Stadium loudly supported the North Africans. Teams from the Arab world like Tunisia or Morocco have a big advantage at this World Cup. Their followers flew from their homeland to Qatar or are already living there as guest workers. And this massive home game atmosphere intimidated the Danes noticeably, although their goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel had said the day before: “We know something like that. That is not a problem for us.”

In fact, however, the clearly favored Danes would rather play the safety pass if, with a little more risk, significantly larger spaces would have opened up. And they kept getting stuck in the attacking third because their game lacked any pace. Coach Kasper Hjulmand reacted to this sluggish presentation by changing tactics twice in the first 65 minutes alone.

For at least half of the game, Tunisia were much more grippy, purposeful – and more dangerous. A goal from centre-forward Issam Jebali was disallowed for offside in the 23rd minute. 20 minutes later, the attacker from Danish club Odense BK was saved by goalkeeper Schmeichel (43′).

The Danes increased their pressure in the second half and made it difficult for their opponents to defend themselves. A goal by Andreas Skov Olsen in the 55th minute was also ruled out for offside. In addition, Eriksen failed with a long-range shot by Tunisia goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen (69th). And Andreas Cornelius, who had just come on as a substitute, only headed against the post from close range (70′).

And so this World Cup started with a disappointment for the Danes, also from a sporting point of view. Like all other European colleagues, captain Simon Kjaer did not wear a captain’s armband, which is intended to promote tolerance and diversity. Even the training shirts with the inscription “Human rights for all” were forbidden by FIFA before they arrived in Qatar. The only expression of protest was an almost monochromatic jersey, on which the logos of the association and the manufacturer can hardly be seen. The Danish outfitter wants to be “unseen” at this World Cup.

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