In the next round of Group D games, Denmark will face France, who they beat twice in the Nations League, with Tunisia up against Australia.
Denmark were denied a late penalty in an entertaining goalless draw with Tunisia in the opening match of Group D. Deep into stoppage time, referee Cesar Arturo Ramos was instructed to go to the monitor after the ball hit the hand of Meriah, but he decided not to give a spot-kick. It would have been harsh on Tunisia, who had the better of the chances. In the first half, Jebali had a goal disallowed for offside before being denied by Schmeichel. One-on-one with the former Leicester man, Jebali’s close-range chip was tipped wide by the goalkeeper. After a difficult opening 45 minutes, Denmark grew into the game. Given the captaincy, after Kjaer was substituted, Eriksen had an effort pushed wide before substitute Cornelius had a glorious opportunity. The ball was headed towards him by Christensen but he hit the post with the goal gaping. Running towards it, he attempted to turn it in with his knee before using his head.
90' + 7' FULL-TIME: DENMARK 0-0 TUNISIA
90' + 5' NO PENALTY! After going to the monitor, the referee does not give a penalty after the ball hit the hand of Meriah.
90' + 4' SAVE BUT THERE IS A VAR CHECK! Lindstrom's cross-shot is pushed away by Dahmen before Cornelius's attempt is blocked. In the box, the ball hit the hand of Meriah after a cross from Eriksen earlier in the move.
90' + 2' Maehle's deflected shot goes out for a corner after Cornelius kept the ball alive. Dahmen tries to punch it out for a throw-in, but fails to do so.
90' + 1' Eriksen's inswinging corner from the right is cleared away. The match may be played in Tunisia's defensive third for the remainder of the match.
90' There will be five minutes of additional time.
89' There have been 14 shots at goal following corners in this game, already the most in any World Cup game on record (1966 onwards).
W. Kechrida
M. Dräger
88' Substitution for Tunisia. Drager is replaced by Kechrida on the right.
F. Sassi
A. Laïdouni
88' Laidouni is given a rest after an energetic performance in the midfield. He is replaced by Sassi for the final few minutes.
T. Khenissi
Yellow Card
86' Khenissi is given a yellow card after clattering into Jensen inside the Denmark half while looking to close down the ball.
83' Schmeichel has had to make just one save so far. He is the third-oldest player to appear for Denmark at the World Cup (36 years, 17 days), behind Morten Olsen (36y 308d in 1986) and Jan Heintze (38y 293d in 2002).
81' Jensen asks a lot from Damsgaard. His curling pass forward goes straight out for a goal-kick.
T. Khenissi
I. Jebali
80' Mejbri is on the pitch for Tunisia. He replaces Jebali. He is the second teenager to play for Tunisia at the World Cup after Yassine Chikhaoui in 2006.
Y. Msakni
Y. Msakni
80' Substitution for Tunisia. Msakni is replaced by Khenissi.
M. Jensen
Yellow Card
78' Jensen trips Sliti who was breaking down the right. The Brentford man is given a yellow card.
76' Jensen receives the ball from Maehle, shifting it onto his right foot before dragging it wide from outside the box.
75' Schmeichel passes the ball straight out for a throw-in, but Tunisia cannot make the most of it. Sliti gives it away.
74' Bronn attempts to slide the ball down the right of the box towards Laidouni, but Schmeichel comes out to claim.
72' Sliti's inswinging corner has pace on it, curling across the box and out for a goal-kick.
70' HOW HAS THAT NOT GONE IN? Eriksen's corner is met by Christensen who knocks it towards Cornelius. Stretching towards it, the striker gets a touch on it, but the ball hits the post.
69' SAVE! Denmark are denied by Dahmen. On the edge, Eriksen's powerful effort is pushed wide by the goalkeeper.
68' The ball is prodded forward towards Laidouni, but Schmeichel rushes out to claim.
N. Sliti
A. Ben Slimane
67' Substitution for Tunisia. Slimane is replaced by Sliti.
M. Jensen
S. Kjær
65' Captain Kjaer is replaced by Jensen. Eriksen is now wearing the armband.
A. Cornelius
K. Dolberg
65' Substitution for Denmark. Dolberg is replaced by Cornelius in the attack.
J. Lindstrøm
A. Skov Olsen
65' Substitution for Denmark. Olsen is replaced by Lindstrom.
63' Dolberg looks to take on two defenders but is barged off the ball. Looking for a free-kick, he does not get one, with Tunisia now in possession.
61' Olsen cuts inside from the right before whipping a dangerous ball into the box. Ready for it, Abdi heads it over the bar.
59' This is Denmark’s sixth World Cup appearance. It’s only the second time they have qualified for back-to-back tournaments, after 1998 / 2002.
57' Denmark are starting to look more dangerous in the second half. Dolberg flicks the ball past Dahmen looking for Olsen, but his strike partner is not there.
56' OFFSIDE! Denmark have the ball in the net, but it will not count. Olsen puts it into the bottom corner after Damsgaard's shot from the right was saved, but he was in an offside position from the original pass.
54' Andersen goes long looking to switch the play, but his pass is intercepted by Bronn who directs it back to the goalkeeper.
52' Bronn's shot from inside the box is blocked over the bar by Olsen.
50' Big chance for Tunisia. Jebali chips the ball to Laidouni who breaks beyond the Denmark defence. Bursting forward, he looks to play it to Slimane, but his pass is intercepted. He could have gone alone.
49' Maehle tries to go past Drager but is tackled by the defender before accidentally stepping on the foot of the Tunisian - conceding a free-kick.
47' The corner is aimed towards Msakni who flicks the ball out for a goal-kick. He wants a corner, believing his effort was deflected wide, but is ignored.
46' Great start from Tunisia. Drager runs down the right with his cross turned behind by the shoulder of Andersen.
46' Tunisia get the second half under way.
Denmark must do more with their set-pieces. With six corners and numerous free-kicks around the edge of the box, Eriksen has found it difficult to find a Danish shirt, with Andersen regularly beaten to the ball. However, they may be able to make the most of what could be a tired Tunisian team. They have put a lot into the first half, so could struggle to keep up with Denmark. As a result, they must utilise their substitutes at the right time, or they will be punished.
The game is goalless at half-time, with Tunisia the better side in the opening 45 minutes. Kadri’s side have been on top of the opposition, with their energetic pressing style and defensive commitment deserving of a clean sheet at the very least. Drager saw a powerful effort deflected wide, with Laidouni missing the target, before Jebali had a golden chance. One-on-one with Schmeichel, his chipped effort was pushed over by the goalkeeper who made himself big to deny the striker.
45' + 5' HALF-TIME: DENMARK 0-0 TUNISIA
45' + 4' Eriksen looks for Andersen with the corner, but Abdi heads it away.
45' + 4' Eriksen and Olsen are over it. It is the latter who takes it, with Meriah clearing it out for a corner.
45' + 3' Free-kick to Denmark in a crossing position. Hojbjerg is cleaned out by Jebali who took his leg away.
M. Damsgaard
T. Delaney
45' + 1' Delaney is hobbling about and cannot continue. He is replaced by Damsgaard in the midfield. His injury came after a slide tackle on Msakni.
44' Schmeichel punches away the resulting corner before Skhiri hits it over from outside the box.
43' SAVE! What a stop from Schmeichel. One-on-one, Jebali's chip is flicked over by the former Leicester man who made himself big, staying on his feet rather than going down early. Schmeichel has saved 18 of the 20 shots on target that he has faced at the World Cup, for a save percentage of 90 per cent.
42' Hojbjerg thinks he should have a penalty after being nudged off the ball by Laidouni. With his hands in the air, the referee points for a goal-kick and the match continues.
40' Kristensen runs down the right looking to get onto the end of Olsen's pass, but it rolls out for a goal-kick.
39' Slimane's corner from the right bobbles around the box before Laidouni lashes it wide from a tight angle.
38' Jebali does well to win a corner. With nobody in the Denmark box, he holds the ball before hitting it against Kjaer.
37' Laidouni skips past a number of Demark defenders with Tunisia players streaming forward. However, he gets his pass forward all wrong, with the ball rolling back to the Denmark defence.
35' Andersen's long ball towards Delaney is caught by Dahmen.
34' Ambitious attempt from Hojbjerg. He retrieves a wild corner from Eriksen before cutting inside from the left outside the box and curling the ball straight at Dahmen.
33' Msakni collects the ball around halfway, finding Slimane who enters the box. Cutting inside, the Tunisian is tackled by Hojbjerg.
31' Kjaer picks out Olsen who runs behind the Tunisia defence. One-on-one on the right of the box, Abdi comes across to slide the ball away.
30' Delaney bursts down the right and looks to flick the ball towards Kristensen who moved inside, but his pass is intercepted.
28' Kristensen curls the ball from the right straight into the gloves of Dahmen. It's a poor cross and a wasted chance for Denmark who have struggled in the attack so far.
26' This is Tunisia's sixth appearance at the World Cup – they have never progressed past the group stages. Tunisia were the first African nation to win a match at the World Cup, beating Mexico 3-1 in 1978.
R. Kristensen
Yellow Card
24' Kristensen receives a yellow card after a late challenge on Laidouni.
24' Jebali has the ball in the net, but he is offside. Running just past halfway, he was the only man inside the Denmark half before poking it past Schmeichel. By the look on his face, the striker knew he was offside.
22' Bouncing around the box, the ball came out to Andersen on the edge and he lashed it at Dahmen.
22' Eriksen curls a free-kick into the Tunisia box that is flicked away by Meriah and out for a corner.
20' Eriksen sends a deep corner from the right towards Andersen, but his header is smashed away.
19' Denmark are looking to slow the game down when the ball goes off the pitch, but Tunisia are not having any of it. They are urgent, looking to win it back at all times.
18' Laidouni looks to chip the ball forward to Slimane, but Christensen comes across and feeds it back to Schmeichel who picks it up.
16' Denmark want a corner, but they are not going to get one. Talbi blocks Kristensen's cross, with the ball deflecting off of the Leeds man and out for a goal-kick.
14' Tunisia have failed to keep a clean sheet in 14 of their 15 games at the World Cup (25 goals conceded), the only exception coming against West Germany in 1978 (0-0). So far, their defence has not been troubled.
12' From the resulting corner, Msakni flicks the ball over the bar at the near post.
11' WIDE! Tunisia go close. Drager's shot from the edge deflects off Christensen and goes wide. Schmeichel always looked confident that it was missing the target.
10' Schmeichel gets the ball on the edge of his own box and moves forwards with it under no pressure. Taking his time, he launches the ball out of play looking for Olsen on the right.
8' Tunisia have started the brightest so far. They have passed the ball around confidently and are looking to go at Denmark at every opportunity.
7' Dahmen pumps the ball down the pitch looking for Jebali, but Kjaer runs forward and clears it away with a towering jump.
5' Jebali wins the ball off Christensen who was trying to let it roll out for a goal kick. On the right, his effort from a tight angle is blocked by Kjaer who slides in.
4' The game stops and Christensen needs attention. He blocked a powerful effort from Msakni, but is fine to continue.
2' Eriksen's corner from the right is cleared away. The Manchester United man then gets the ball on the right but is tackled by Laidouni. The Tunisian then pumps his chest and celebrates.
1' Denmark get this World Cup clash under way.
This is the first encounter between Denmark and Tunisia at the World Cup. Their only previous meeting was a friendly 20 years ago in Japan, prior to the 2002 tournament; Denmark won 2-1.
As for Tunisia, they make three alterations to the team that lost to Brazil last time out. Mortadha Ben Ouanes, Chaalali and Jaziri come out of the side for Jebali, Meriah and Abdi. Khazri, who has been directly involved in each of Tunisia’s last four goals at the World Cup (two goals, two assists), is on the bench.
Denmark make one change to the team that beat France in the Nations League. Captain Kjaer starts in the middle of the defence, replacing Damsgaard with Hjulmand switching from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2.
TUNISIA SUBS: Aymen Balbouli, Bechir Ben Said, Mouez Hassen, Bilel Ifa, Nader Ghandri, Hannibal Mejbri, Wahbi Khazri, Taha Yassine Khenissi, Ali Maaloul, Ferjani Sassi, Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane, Ghaylen Chaalali, Seifeddine Jaziri, Wajdi Kechrida, Naïm Sliti.
DENMARK SUBS: Oliver Christensen, Frederik Ronnow, Victor Nelsson, Mathias Jensen, Martin Braithwaite, Mikkel Damsgaard, Christian Norgaard, Jens Stryger Larsen, Daniel Wass, Jonas Wind, Yussuf Poulsen, Andreas Cornelius, Robert Skov, Jesper Lindstrom, Alexander Bah.
DENMARK (3-5-2): Kasper Schmeichel; Joachim Andersen, Simon Kjaer, Andreas Christensen; Rasmus Kristensen, Thomas Delaney, Christian Eriksen, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Joakim Maehle; Andreas Skov Olsen, Kasper Dolberg.
As for Tunisia, they beat Mali 1-0 in a two-legged playoff to reach their second consecutive World Cup after finishing at the top of their qualifying group. Since then, Tunisia have beaten Equatorial Guinea and drawn with Botswana to go to the top of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying group, as well as lifting the Kirin Cup after a 3-0 triumph over Japan in the final.
Denmark secured their place in the World Cup after finishing at the top of their qualifying group. Collecting 27 points from the 30 that were available, their only defeat came against Scotland in their final match. They followed their successful World Cup qualifying campaign with an admirable performance in the Nations League. Beating France home and away, Kasper Hjulmand's side finished second in Group A1, one point behind winners Croatia. Denmark have made it out of the group stages in four of their five previous World Cup appearances.
Hello and welcome to live coverage of today's World Cup Group D clash between Denmark and Tunisia.
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