Tunisia 1-0 France LIVE: Wahbi Khazri races through Les Bleus’ defence to slot past Steve Mandanda to give the African side a deserved lead over Didier Deschamps’ second-string side
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Follow Sportsmail’s live blog for the World Cup Group Group D clash between Tunisia and France.
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Tunisia forward Slimane, who’s had a great game this afternoon, makes way for Ali Al-Abdi.
Mbappe gets into the box and tries to pick out Dembele, only for Skhiri to put the ball behind for a corner.
Griezmann sends it in and, after a brief scramble in the area, Dembele fires an effort straight into the hands of Dahmen.
Deschamps springs his fourth France sub as Ousmane Dembele comes on for Guendouzi.
With just over 11 minutes of normal time to go, Tunisia are more than happy with their one-goal lead and now look likely to sit back and protect it.
However, they need Denmark to pull something out of the bag against Australia for it to mean anything. Their World Cup hopes are out of their hands!
And a minute later Tunisia make their second substitution of the night as Ben Romdhane is replaced by Ghaylene Chaalali.
France make another change with Antoine Griezmann replacing Fofana.
Mbappe gets on the ball for the first time, dropping a shoulder and cutting inside before sending a cross out of play.
Not the best of introductions for the PSG superstar.
Aissa Laidouni has had an absolute barnstormer of a game here today. He’s been the driving force of an inspired Tunisia performance so far.
Khazri has given Tunisia hope of completing mission impossible here. What a moment it was!
Here come the cavalry for France.
Kylian Mbappe is on, as are Adrien Rabiot and William Saliba. Coman, Veretout and Varane have made way.
Just after their opener, Issam Jebali also replaced Khazri for Tunisia.
But good news is immediately followed by bad news for Tunisia, as Australia have taken the lead in the other Group D match.
That means Tunisia are still heading out of the World Cup despite their shock lead over France.
France can have no complaints whatsoever that they’re behind here. They’ve been second best all over the park this afternoon.
Fofana seemed unhappy that Skhiri wasn’t judged to have fouled him, but it looked a fair challenge from the Tunisia midfielder.
KHAZRI FIRES TUNISIA IN FRONT! Incredible scenes!
Ellyes Skhiri first dispossesses Fofana expertly and feeds the Tunisia captain, who glides past Raphael Varane and into the box before slotting the ball past Mandanda to make it 1-0.
The upset is on!
It’s been a sluggish Les Bleus display so far. Deschamps has cut a frustrated figure on the touchline.
Fofana looks to shield the ball out for a France goal kick and goes down in some discomfort from Laidouni’s challenge, but the referee chooses not to blow up and the Tunisia midfielder unleashes a shot from close range which flies over the bar.
Despite the miss, Fofana’s not at all happy with the referee. He felt that was a clear foul.
Coman turns with the ball and leaves Montassar Talbi for dead on the right-hand side.
The winger races towards Tunisia’s box, but when he pulls the ball across France lose possession and a potential chance goes begging.
I’m not sure the world champions have even tested Aymen Dahmen yet. They’ve been well off it today.
The ball breaks to Khazri in the box and the striker ships a heavy challenge before crashing to the floor, but the referee ignores Tunisia’s protests for a penalty.
Replays later show it was the correct decision as Tchouameni won the ball cleanly. Superb tackle from the Real Madrid midfielder.
We’re back underway for the second half.
45 minutes left for Tunisia to pull off the unthinkable and keep their World Cup alive!
Tunisia thought they made the perfect start when Nader Ghandri flicked the ball past Mandanda after eight minutes.
That was before the dreaded linesman’s flag came and ruled out his opener for offside.
A huge let off for France!
Elsewhere in Group D, it’s also goalless between Australia and Denmark over in Al-Wakrah.
That means the Socceroos are currently heading through to the last-16 with France.
The half-time whistle goes and Tunisia will head into the break confident of springing an upset here.
They’ve caused France plenty of problems so far, with Wahbi Khazri and Anis Ben Slimane enjoying a fantastic opening 45 minutes.
Deschamps needs to wake his side up at the interval if they want to avoid their first World Cup defeat in eight years. That’s the way it appears to be heading!
There will be two minutes of stoppage time at the end of this first half.
Coman loses possession and falls to the floor, but the referee isn’t interested and waves to play on.
Romdhane then slips Khazri through in the box and the Tunisia captain pulls the ball across goal, which France clear, only for the flag to go up for offside.
Tchouameni whips in France’s most inviting cross of the afternoon, but it’s just a little high for Muani to latch onto.
France have sleepwalked their way through this first half. They’re in no hurry to get forward and open the scoring here.
They’re very fortunate not to be behind, too, with Tunisia looking the far more dangerous of the two sides so far.
Varane clears another Tunisia cross to Khazri on the edge of the box and his swerving effort is parried by Mandanda, before France clear for yet another corner.
France head it away once more. Can Tunisia make one of these set-pieces count?
Khazri takes a quick free-kick and picks out Maaloul on the left, who puts in a terrific cross which Camavinga just about manages to knock behind for a corner.
But Tunisia’s latest ball into the box is cleared once again.
Laidouni wriggles into space inside the France box and picks out Anis Ben Slimane, whose header flies straight into the hands of Steve Mandanda.
Kechrida brings Camavinga down with a late challenge and picks up the game’s first booking. That seemed a little harsh.
The best chance of the game so far falls to Kingsley Coman… but he misses the target completely!
Youssouf Fofana races through in acres of space and slots the Bayern Munich star in on goal, only for his effort to go sailing past the post.
That really should’ve been the first goal of the game.
After weathering an early storm France are slowly trying to take the sting out of Tunisia by lowering the tempo of this game.
Every time the underdogs break forward the noise in the stadium is deafening. Tunisia supporters are desperate to see an upset!
Tunisia have come flying out the blocks here! They’ve been well on top in this first 18 minutes.
A heavily-rotated France team haven’t got going yet. Deschamps won’t be too pleased with what he’s watching.
Randal Kolo Muani battles well over on the right to win France a corner and Matteo Guendouzi flicks it on, but Tunisia knock it behind for another.
The second set-piece is also cleared, and when Tunisia break Camavinga brings Aissa Laidouni down after being nutmegged by the midfielder.
Camavinga’s lucky not to be booked there. He won’t want to watch that back anytime soon!
Wajdi Kechrida gallops down the right flank and floats a delivery to the back post, which Axel Disasi puts behind for a corner.
Yet bizarrely, Khazri produces what looks like a shot at goal from the corner and his effort flies straight into the roof of the net.
Moments later the Tunisia captain goes down in the box from Camavinga’s challeng eand appeals for a penalty, but his claim seems a soft one.
Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane draws a foul on the left-hand side and Nader Ghandri flicks in the resulting free-kick… but the linesman’s flag is up!
Tunisia thought they’d just made the perfect start there. So close!
Anis Ben Slimane and Ali Maaloul enjoy a neat exchange in France’s box and force a corner.
The latter whips in a great cross, but Raphael Varane has no one challenging him and clears comfortably.
Not a bad start here for Tunisia, and their fans are making plenty of noise!
Wahbi Khazri is down injured after colliding with Eduardo Camavinga. But the Tunisia captain returns to his feet and looks fine to continue.
The referee blows his whistle and Tunisia get us underway at the Education City Stadium.
Tunisia and France have lined up for their respective national anthems.
Once they’re complete this Group D showdown will begin!
Here’s your 10-minute warning! Not long until we get started in Al Rayyan.
Fans from both countries have arrived at the stadium in some superb outfits today.
Kick-off is fast approaching!
France’s last defeat at the World Cup came all the way back in 2014, when they were beaten 1-0 by Germany in the quarter-finals.
Tunisia are hoping to change that this afternoon.
Here’s how the group looks as Tunisia, Australia and Denmark battle it out for a place in the last-16.
GROUP D AS THINGS STAND
1. France – 6 PTS, +4 GD
2. Australia – 3 PTS, -2 GD
3. Denmark – 1 PTS, -1 GD
4. Tunisia – 1 PTS, -1 GD
Deschamps’ men are out completing their pre-match warm-up before today’s clash with Tunisia. Just over half an hour until kick-off!
Mbappe doesn’t look too disheartened after being dropped to the bench…
There is some confusion over France’s formation today, as journalist Julien Laurens points out…
Nine changes from Deschamps for this Tunisia game. It could be a back 3 with Disasi, Varane and Konaté + Camavinga and Coman as wing backs, Fofana and Tchouameni as double pivot and Veretout and Guendouzi behind Kolo Muani. But it could also be a back 4!?♂️
The team news from Al Rayyan wasn’t what Australia or Denmark would have been hoping to hear.
They are desperate for France to avoid an upset in the other Group D fixture, as a Tunisia win would leave them both in need of a result to progress.
But Deschamps has put out what looks like a B team for Les Bleus. Are they taking this one lightly?
Tunisia are also here at the Education City Stadium.
Man United star Hannibal Mejbri was also seen greeting Deschamps on the pitch.
And this is the Tunisia side in Al Rayyan. Kadri has also rung the changes, with six news faces coming in today.
Tunisia starting XI to face France (3-4-3): Dahmen; Meriah, Ghandri, Talbi; Kechrida, Skhiri, Laïdouni, Maaloul; Slimane, Khazri, Romdhane.
Here’s how Les Bleus are lining up today, with no Mbappe or Griezmann as reported. Deschamps has shuffled his pack and made nine changes for this Group D finale.
France starting XI to face Tunisia (4-3-3): Mandanda; Disasi, Konaté, Varane, Camavinga; Fofana, Tchouaméni, Veretout; Coman, Kolo Muani, Guendouzi.
According to beIN SPORTS, France striker Marcus Thuram has been ruled out of today’s game through illness.
Marcus Thuram is out for today's game vs Tunisia, he is sick. (beIN)
The world champions are in the house!
Mbappe has arrived at the Education City Stadium with his France team-mates, but he looks unlikely to be involved from the start today.
French publication L’Equipe are reporting that current Golden Boot leader Mbappe will start on the bench against Tunisia this afternoon, while Antoine Griezmann is also being rested.
It is understood that Monaco defender Axel Disasi will be making his France debut at right-back.
Here’s a glimpse inside the two dressing rooms at the Education City Stadium.
Just over 90 minutes until Tunisia vs France gets underway!
The odds may be stacked against them, but the Tunisia faithful are still in fine spirits ahead of their Group D decider in Ar Rayyan.
Tunisia ?? fans all fired up to this evening’s make or mar clash with defending champions France ??.
The Carthage Eagles with just a point must beat already qualified Les Blues convincingly, while hoping that Denmark ??(1 point) hold Australia ??(3 points)
Tough job indeed. pic.twitter.com/OqKTkevGmJ
This year’s World Cup has already produced some monumental upsets, and Tunisia will be hoping to join the list this afternoon…
The first big shock came when Saudi Arabia fought from behind to record a sensational 2-1 win over Argentina last week, before Japan inflicted an opening defeat on Germany the following day.
Belgium also slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Morocco on Sunday to leave their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages hanging by a thread.
France are one of seven teams to have already secured their place in the last-16 – and they’ve done it with a game to spare.
Brazil also achieved the feat by winning their first two matches, as did Portugal.
England topped their group after cruising past Wales last night, while USA made it through to the next round by edging a 1-0 win over Iran.
Earlier on Tuesday, Holland beat Qatar to head through as group winners and Senegal saw off Ecuador to also progress.
Teams confirmed in the World Cup last-16
Holland, Senegal, England, USA, France, Brazil, Portugal
Sportsmail has put together a World Cup predictor for fans to work out who they believe will prevail in next month’s final.
To have a crack at it yourself, click on the link below…
Tunisia have a huge mountain to climb to reach the last-16, with one of the tournament favourites and the reigning champions standing in their way this afternoon.
Nothing but a win will do for the Carthage Eagles, and boss Jalel Kadri is adamant that anything could happen on the day.
‘The message I convey to our players is nothing is impossible, we are still alive, we are still motivated and we will ready for this last battle,’ Kadri said on Tuesday. ‘We still have high hopes.
‘I believe in the players and hopefully we will be lucky and move onto the next phase.’
However, Graeme Souness is still unconvinced by Giroud despite his scoring record for France, which he believes is largely down to luck after Karim Benzema’s six-year exile from the national side.
Before Les Bleus’ win over Denmark, Souness said on ITV Sport: ‘I’m not his biggest fan. Seven games in the last World Cup in the team that wins it and he never had a shot on target. When you talk about mentioning him in the same breath as Thierry Henry – sorry!
‘I would say his record is there for one reason: Benzema being out for such a long time because of all the controversy he’s involved with. Benzema, the current Ballon d’Or holder, will be missed in this French team this competition. Benzema is completely on another level.’
READ MORE:
Should he play a part in today’s match, Olivier Giroud will have the chance to etch his name into French football history.
The striker’s brace against Australia last week saw him equal Thierry Henry’s record tally of 51 goals for France, meaning one more is required to surpass the Arsenal legend as his country’s all-time top scorer.
Giroud recently revealed that Henry texts him after every goal he scores for Les Bleus, saying: ‘A message from Thierry Henry? He has a habit, each time I score, of sending me a nice little message to congratulate me.
‘It’s always a pleasure coming from him.’
READ MORE:
The game between Tunisia and France will be aired live on BBC for UK viewers. If you are looking to stream the game, you need to head to BBC iPlayer.
UK viewers can also catch the game on STV – which is a Scottish free-to-air television channel owned by STV Group. STV Player will also stream the game for those on the go.
Meanwhile, the following stations will be airing the game for American viewers: FOX, Universo, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, DirecTV Stream, Vidgo and Sling Blue.
Australian viewers can tune into the game via SBS, who will be televising every match during the 2022 World Cup. SBS On Demand will also stream the Tunisia vs France fixture for those on the move.
If you’re unable to watch the game live, you can relive the action via the FIFA YouTube Channel (Worldwide). The official YouTube channel will be posting highlight reels after each game.
KICK-OFF TIMES
3pm (UK), 10am (US), 1am on Thursday (Australia)
France carried out their final training session before today’s game last night, with the likes of Marcus Thuram and Olivier Giroud seen going through the gears.
????? ??? ???????? ?♂️?#FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/GIVNDxq4Zx
It has not been a great start to the tournament for Tunisia, who are both winless and goalless after 180 minutes of action in Qatar.
An opening 0-0 draw with Denmark was an encouraging result for the Carthage Eagles, but the subsequent 1-0 defeat against Australia dented their hopes of reaching the knockout stages.
Mitchell Duke fired home the winner for the Socceroos in Al-Wakrah, which has left them in control of second place in the group.
Tunisia now need a historic win over the 2018 champions to progress, yet even that feat would not be enough if Australia prevail against Denmark.
The Danes could also head through if they come out on top in the other Group D fixture and either outpoint or outscore Tunisia.
Tunisia and France have only played each other on five occasions in the past, with their last encounter coming all the way back in May 2010.
That friendly ended in a 1-1 draw when William Gallas cancelled out Issam Jemaa’s early opener in Rades.
France have claimed two wins over Tunisia, but it was the latter who emerged victorious when they first collided back in October 1971, picking up a 2-1 win at the Mediterranean Games.
Mbappe will be keen to get the nod and tighten his grip on the Golden Boot race, which he currently leads after registering three goals and an assist in France’s first two matches.
England’s Marcus Rashford, Holland’s Cody Gakpo and Ecuador’s Enner Valencia sit behind him after also scoring three times, although the trio have already completed their respective group stages.
2022 World Cup Golden Boot frontrunners
1. Kylian Mbappe (France) – 3 goals, 3 assists
2=. Marcus Rashford (England) – 3 goals, 0 assists
2=. Cody Gakpo (Holland) – 3 goals, 0 assists
2=. Enner Valencia (Ecuador) – 3 goals, 0 assists
5. Bruno Fernandes (Portugal) – 2 goals, 2 assists
6=. Alvaro Morata (Spain) – 2 goals, 1 assist
6=. Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 2 goals, 1 assist
6=. Mehdi Taremi (Iran) – 2 goals, 1 assist
One of Deschamps’ biggest decisions today is whether to give star man Kylian Mbappe a rest ahead of the knockout stages or keep his momentum going.
Mbappe has made a blistering start to this year’s World Cup, getting on the scoresheet in Les Bleus’ opening victory over Australia before netting a match-winning double against Denmark.
When asked if the PSG forward could sit out Wednesday’s group finale against Tunisia, Deschamps said: ‘His fitness is fine so we don’t need to manage that. Perhaps then you are asking about his ego. Kylian doesn’t have a big ego. Of course he’s an important player, a key player, but he’s a team player.
‘Of course he’s a star because he’s such a vital player but he’s not 18 anymore. He’s got a bit more experience. He always wants to play but that’s true of all players. Not all of them can start tomorrow. There are a lot of factors to take into account.’
Tunisia’s clash with France will take place at the Education City Stadium, which is located 7km north west of central Doha in Al Rayyan.
The 44,667-capacity venue can be found in its namesake location, Education City, a vibrant centre of learning which is famous for its various branches of foreign universities.
The stadium itself features diamond-like geometrical patterns which change colour depending on the movement of the sun.
It was inaugurated during a virtual event paying tribute to healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic back in June 2020, and once this winter’s tournament draws to a close it will be turned into a sporting hub for the local community.
Despite recently losing Lucas Hernandez to injury for the remainder of the tournament, other than that Deschamps has a fully-fit squad at his disposal.
And given the strong position his France side are in – with defeat today and a huge swing in goal difference with Australia required to let top spot slip – he is likely to shuffle his pack for their final group outing.
Eduardo Camavinga is expected to be deployed as a makeshift left-back to give Theo Hernandez, the only natural left-back in Deschamps’ squad following his brother’s injury, a rest ahead of the last-16.
The likes of Steve Mandanda, William Saliba, Matteo Guendouzi and Kingsley Coman could also enjoy run-outs, while it remains to be seen whether Kylian Mbappe is rested or not.
Tunisia also have no injury concerns on their plate heading into today’s fixture.
Predicted line-ups
Tunisia (3-4-3): Dahmen; Bronn, Meriah, Talbi; Drager, Skhiri, Laidouni, Abdi; Msakni, Sliti, Jebali.
France (4-2-3-1): Mandanda; Pavard, Konate, Saliba, Camavinga; Tchouameni, Guendouzi; Dembele, Griezmann, Coman; Thuram
Hello and welcome to Sportsmail’s live coverage of today’s World Cup Group D clash between Tunisia vs France, with both sides in need of a result for very different reasons.
Didier Deschamps’ world champions have got their title defence off to an impeccable start after beating Denmark and Australia, meaning they only need a point here to progress to the last-16 as group winners.
Tunisia, meanwhile, are scrapping it out to stay in the tournament altogether after following up a stalemate against Denmark with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Australia.
The African side need to inflict a huge upset to advance to the knockout stages by toppling France, but even that may not be enough should Australia beat Denmark or the latter team win while racking up a larger goal difference.
It promises to be a rollercoaster ride this afternoon, with both Group D deciders getting underway at 3pm GMT, and you can follow all the updates throughout the day here with us.
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