Tunisia may not play in the Round of 16, but they will go home on a high note after upsetting World Cup Champions France 1-0 and finishing third in the Group D points table of the FIFA World Cup 2022. Australia finished second in the group and secured a place in the knockout round.
World Cup 2022: France vs Tunisia Match Report
France secured their place in the Round of 16 after beating Denmark 2-1 in their second match of the group. The match against Tunisia was therefore just a formality for the French side. But for coach Didier Deschamps, it was a good opportunity to test his squad's strength, which he did by dropping some of his star players from the starting XI.
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Tunisia, on the other hand, had a different equation. They had a realistic opportunity to advance to the Round of 16. But both sides played cautiously in the first half, but France dominated possession.
The match actually opened up when Wahbi Khazri scored for Tunisia in the 58th minute, forcing Didier Deschamps, the French coach, to make some immediate changes. He deployed Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, William Saliba, and Adrien Rabiot to enforce the France attacking line-up. Later, Antoine Griezmann was also brought in.
France started to attack more after those changes, while Tunisia tried to put pressure on the French defense through counterattacks. However, despite getting close on a number of occasions, France failed to find the net in the match and conceded a disappointing loss to the African side. Though Antoine Griezmann did score in the final minute of the match, that one was later disallowed due to offside.
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Aftermath
Tunisia fought hard throughout the game, eventually defeating reigning champions France 1-0. This was undoubtedly Tunisia's greatest victory. On the other hand, losing this contest was disappointing for the French side, especially before their Round of 16 fixture at the Qatar World Cup 2022.