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Denmark and Tunisia played out an entertaining goalless draw at the Education City Stadium on Tuesday (November 22) in their 2022 FIFA World Cup encounter.
Tunisia were the better side in the first half but lacked the cutting edge to find the back of the net. Issam Kebali appeared to have put them in front in the 24th minute but was ruled offside. The forward was then denied by Kasper Schmeichel in a one-on-one.
Denmark improved after the break but couldn't find a way past the resolute Eagles of Carthage.
Kasper Hjulmand's side also failed to make the most of their set pieces as Denmark won plenty of corner kicks and free-kicks.
However, in stoppage time, the Danes appealed for a penalty after the ball hit Yassine Meriah's hand. However, following a VAR review, referee Cesar Ramos stuck to his original decision of not awarding them a spot kick.
This was the first goalless match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Denmark next play defending champions France on Saturday (November 26) while Tunisia take on Australia on the same day.
Here are the player ratings from Denmark vs Tunisia:
Denmark Player Ratings
Kasper Schmeichel - 7/10
The Danish custodian wasn't called into action much but stepped up to the plate when he had to. He denied Issam Jebali in a one-on-one to keep the game in balance.
Joachim Andersen - 6/10
He was regularly beaten to the ball while his passing wasn't the best either. He lost possession 18 times and won 10 of his 17 duels.
Simon Kjaer - 7.5/10
The Danish skipper was rock solid in defense and read the game brilliantly, making five interceptions and one clearance.
Andreas Christensen - 7/10
Christensen was on the receiving end of the firing in the opening half but he came through unscathed. Four blocks to his name too.
Rasmus Kristensen - 6.5/10
He looked to make things happen, but Kristensen was all sizzle, no steak. He lost possession 17 times and made 0 accurate crosses out of his attempted three. He was also booked in the 24th minute.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 7/10
The Tottenham Hotspur man made his presence felt at both ends of the pitch in the first half before losing momentum after the break.
Thomas Delaney - 6/10
Delaney's night came to a premature end due to an injury and was seen with an ice pack on the bench, indicating that it could be serious. Until his departure, though, he was mediocre.
Christian Eriksen - 8/10
Denmark's creative hub, Eriksen was the architect of most of the chances coming from them, including those from set pieces. Much to his dismay, though, none of his crosses yielded a goal today.
Joakim Mæhle - 6.5/10
Plenty of flashy bits but very little quality. He failed to deliver any accurate crosses or long balls out of his attempted four. He also failed to complete all three of his dribble attempts.
Andreas Skov Olsen - 7/10
Olsen burst to life in the second half, making some incisive runs and putting across a few dangerous crosses.
Kasper Dolberg - 5/10
In 65 minutes of action, he made only 21 touches and completed eight passes. Enough said.
Substitutes
Mikkel Damsgaard (45' for Delaney) - 5/10
He replaced the injured Delaney but struggled to make an impact. He had a 69% pass accuracy and he failed to win any of his two duels.
Jesper Lindstrom (65' for Olsen) - 4/10
He was barely visible. Lindstrom won just one of his six duels and had just eight touches on the ball.
Andreas Cornelius (65' for Dolberg) - 5/10
He made an attempt to score in stoppage time but it was blocked. He also missed a big chance from close range to give Denmark the lead.
Mathias Jensen (65' for Kjaer) - 6/10
Jensen tried to make things happen, making two key passes. The Brentford man was booked for tripping over Naim Sliti.
Tunisia Player Ratings
Aymen Dahmen - 8.5/10
Tunisia's hero of the day, Dahmen made five saves on the day to keep out Denmark in a prolific display of goalkeeping.
Montassar Talbi - 8/10
The 24-year-old made a crucial block on Andreas Christensen's cross in the 24th minute and ended the match with a total of seven clearances.
Dylan Bronn - 7/10
He was always involved in the thick of things. Bronn made one tackle and won three of his six duels.
Yassine Meriah - 6.5/10
He nearly conceded a penalty to Denmark in stoppage time for a handball. However, referee Cesar Ramos decided it wasn't following a VAR check in a real let-off for Meriah.
Mohamed Drager - 6.5/10
The midfielder saw a powerful effort deflected wide in the first half and made an excellent move just seconds into the restart.
Aissa Laidouni - 8/10
An energetic display from Laidouni in midfield as he was quick to get on the end of the ball and made the incisive runs that had Denmark on the ropes.
Ellyes Skhiri - 6/10
Skhiri was key to winning back possession in midfield for Tunisia and came up big for his team in defense too, making three clearances.
Ali Abdi - 7.5/10
His tackling ability was top-notch, completing seven in the match, while also showing excellent vision to nip the danger in the bud. He finished with seven clearances too.
Anis Ben Slimane - 6/10
He never really tested Denmark, failing to muster a single shot in the match, while his crossing was wayward too.
Youssef Msakni - 6.5/10
He cleared the ball away while defending set-pieces but Msakni couldn't add enough firepower to Tunisia's attack.
Issam Jebali - 6/10
He first had a goal disallowed for offside and then saw an effort tipped over by Kasper Schmeichel after going one-on-one with him. It was a frustrating evening for him.
Substitutes
Naim Sliti (67' for Slimane) - 6/10
He stationed himself high up to maintain pressure on Denmark. He won all three of his duels and also completed his two dribble attempts.
Taha Khenissi (80' Jebali) - 6/10
Khenissi was booked just five minutes after being subbed into the match for clattering into Mathias Jensen.
Hannibal Mejbri (80' for Msakni) - 5/10
He touched the ball just four times in 10 minutes of action.
Ferjani Sassi (87' for Laidouni) - N/A
Not enough time for him to make an impact.
