Tunisia’s shock victory over France was not enough for a spot in the knockout stages, as Australia defeated Denmark to advance.
The North Africans required victory over France as well as a stalemate between Australia and Denmark.
Tunisia took advantage of the nine changes made to the French team to earn a 1-0 victory over the reigning World Cup champions on Wednesday evening, but it was not enough.
Australia defeated Denmark 1-0 in the group’s other fixture, with the Socceroos advancing to the knockout stages for the first time since the 2006 Fifa World Cup.
Mathew Leckie delivered the goods for Australia with a goal in the second-half proving enough for the win.
Tensions were high before kickoff as fans of Tunisia booed the French national anthem, given the two nation’s colonial history.
A defensive error for France handed Whabi Khazri the chance to give his side the lead as he bursted through on goal.
And the tricky playmaker took that chance with both hands as he slotted the ball home for the lead.
Tunisia did not have a single shot on target following their goal as they spent the rest of the encounter in survival mode.
Tunisia will certainly get the award for the most dramatic ending after a late equaliser by Antoine Griezmann was ruled out for offside, with the game surpassing the 100-minute mark.
In the end, Australia ended as runners-up in Group D with the same amount of points as France.
Denmark were pitted as potential dark horses in Qatar following an excellent Euros campaign last year but left the Arab nation with only a point to their names after the defeat.
The Eagles of Carthage – Tunisia – will without a doubt leave Qatar proud of their performances, only registering one loss to Australia during the group stages.
Four points on the world stage is often enough for any team to advance but for Tunisia it was only agonisingly close as the knockout stage eluded them.
Pictured above: Tunisia’s celebrations
Image source: @FifaWorldCup
