FIFA World Cup: Kylian Mbappe sends France into the round of 16
France clinched a 2-1 win against Denmark in its Group D clash at the 974 Stadium on Saturday, sending them through to the round of 16. They now top Group D with six points, three clear of Australia, who overcame Tunisia on the same day
Kylian Mbappe was the star of the show for FranceKylian Mbappe netted two goals to send the defending champions blazing into the round of 16 of the World Cup, and it became the first side to qualify for the knockout stage.
France will face Tunisia, and Denmark will encounter the Socceroos in the final round, which will decide the fate of the remaining teams. France created more chances in the first half as Adrien Rabiot almost headed home.
The Dane was always on their toes as they attempted to hold on to their clean sheet. However, Mbappe drew blood in the 61st minute by netting Theo Hernandez's clever pull-back.
Seven minutes later, Andreas Christensen outplayed France's defense and equalized for Denmark. Rabiot tried to land a volley in the 80th minute, and a minute later, substitute Martin Braithwaite's shot went wide of the near post.
In the 86th minute, Kylian Mbappe struck at the far post to convert an Antoine Griezmann cross from close range. Denmark toiled away, hoping to net a second equaliser, but their efforts lacked precision despite their dominating performance in the recent Nations League campaign against the French.
How Denmark, Tunisia, and Australia can qualify for knockouts
Australia is now second in Group D after a 1-0 win over Tunisia on Saturday. Mitchell Duke scored the winning goal in the 23rd minute. In their campaign opener, Australia slumped into a 4-1 defeat against Australia.
Their recent victory has kept them on the hunt. On the other hand, Tunisia was hoping to win against Australia and collect four points from two games after their first match goalless draw against Denmark.
Their chances of qualifying are slim before their last game against heavyweight France. Meanwhile, Denmark needed to win against France to keep their qualification hopes intact. However, the loss has further decreased their chances of qualifying.
In the last round of the group stage, Tunisia will need to win against France, while Denmark needs to beat Australia to get back into the game. If Australia loses the next match, their bid to qualify for the next stage will hang on a thread.
|
Position |
Team |
Matches played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Points |
|
1 |
France |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
|
2 |
Australia |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
|
3 |
Denmark |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
4 |
Tunisia |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |