FIFA World Cup 2022: Tunisia 0 - 0 Denmark, the first draw of Group D

Tunisia's heart was breaking when Mexican referee Cesar Ramos went to the monitor on the sidelines at Education City Stadium.

Christian Eriksen's corner hit the arm of Yassine Meriah, but the ball had bounced off the Tunisian defender's chest, and referee Cesar Ramos stood by his decision on the pitch.

Christian Eriksen experienced a fairytale start to the World Cup. Sixteen months after his cardiac arrest at Euro 2020, the Manchester United midfielder was back at a major tournament.

Denmark reached the tournament's semifinals without his talisman, and head coach Kasper Hjulmand said Monday that his team had come to Qatar to win the World Cup.

But in an exciting match for long stretches, the Danes, ranked 10th in the world and 20 places ahead of Tunisia, were upset by opponents who had something to prove.

This is Tunisia's fifth appearance in a World Cup, and the Carthage Eagles have never advanced beyond the group stage.

Tunisia could count on significant support, as Doha is home to many of the Tunisian population. The North Africans provided a raucous atmosphere, making it feel like an away game for Denmark.

The Danes' first goal was to silence the Tunisian fans and free themselves from the shackles placed on their midfield trio of Christian Eriksen, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Thomas Delaney.

Mohamed Drager provided the first sign of Tunisian intent with a deflected shot that left Kasper Schmeichel rooted to the spot.

Captain Youssef Msakni headed the resulting corner across the goal, and Tunisia continued to press, with the lively Issam Jebali a constant threat to the Danish defense.

Issam Jebali had the ball in the net midway through the first period, but he was offside after a pass from Dylan Bronn, and the Tunisian celebrations were halted.

Joachim Andersen and Hojbjerg routinely failed to beat Ayman Dahmen in the Tunisian goal, but Denmark was lucky not to fall behind two minutes before the break.

There was no offside flag this time to prevent Issam Jebali from going one-on-one with Schmeichel and potting the ball with a flick.

It looked like the ball was going to fly over Schmeichel's head, but the former Leicester goalkeeper jerked his arm up and steered the ball around the post.

Tunisia put more pressure at the start of the second half, and a pinball in the Danish penalty area ended with a deflected shot from Dylan Bronn.

Andreas Skov Olsen thought he had put Denmark ahead on 55 minutes when he pulled the trigger from 12 yards.

Mikkel Damsgaard, a substitute for the injured Delaney, was offside in the buildup, but Denmark - and Eriksen in particular - slowly began to gain the upper hand,

Kasper Dolberg headed just wide, and Dahmen blocked Christian Eriksen's 20-yard shot before Tunisia got away stunningly.

Andreas Christensen deflected Christian Eriksen's corner kick across the goal, and Andreas Cornelius somehow failed to manoeuvre the ball over the line from a yard out, hitting the post instead.

Denmark pressed Tunisia on the defensive in the closing stages but could not score the winning goal, which would have meant a perfect start for Group D.