Last Updated on November 29, 2022 11:54 am by Erwin Noguera
We are just a few days away from the start of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, and it already stands out as one of the most atypical in history. As mentioned above, it will be the first time that the World Cup will be held in the winter months.
The 32 qualified teams are already finalizing the details for what will be the start of this World Cup. Thus be able to arrive with the batteries well recharged to fulfill the dream of every professional soccer player. That is, to be champion with his country in a World Cup.
From November 20, yes, in 1 week, we will be looking for relief after France’s victory over Croatia in the final of Russia 2018. We will see if the curse that began in 2002, in which the champion of the last edition has always been eliminated in the group stage, will continue.
Update
The first day of the group stage of the Qatar 2022 World Cup is already history and although there have been different surprises throughout the World Cup, in group D, except for Tunisia’s draw against Denmark, everything has been under control by France, who had a great debut crushing Australia with a score of 4-1.
Starting today, Friday, November 25, we will have the actions of the second day in each of the groups and, specifically in group D we will have the following games:
- Matchday 2: Tunisia vs. Australia (Saturday, November 26 at 05:00 am ET.)
- Matchday 2: France vs. Denmark (Saturday, November 26 at 11:00 am ET.)
France will have the chance to seal its ticket to the round of 16 of this World Cup, while Denmark will have to pull off a surprise and beat a very powerful team to stay alive in this World Cup and seek qualification in the last group match against Australia.
On the other hand, we have Tunisia and Australia, two teams that need to get 3 points on this second day of the group stage of the World Cup if they want to stay alive in the tournament and continue with the dream of advancing to the next stage of the most important tournament in the world.
Tunisia vs. Denmark – Roundup
The first match of group D was played by Tunisia and Denmark last Saturday, where Tunisia gave a very pleasant surprise to all soccer lovers around the world by drawing 0-0 against Denmark, a team that is called to be the second classified of the group.
And it is not only that the match end with a 0-0 draw, but Tunisia showed a spectacular level of play, leaving against the ropes a Danish team that was very surprised, especially in the first half, where Tunisia had many chances to score the goal that would give them the advantage.
As we mentioned, now these two teams need to win the two remaining matches, but they will have the complicated task of facing tough teams like Australia and the current world champion France.
France vs. Australia – Roundup
The current world champion, one of the favorites to lift this year’s champion trophy, Mbappé’s France, now without Benzemá who, at the last minute had to leave the national team due to an injury, without Kanté, but with a spectacular Griezmann, a Giroud with great determination and an exceptional level of Mbappé, achieved a crushing victory in their World Cup debut against Australia, with a score of 4-1.
Things did not start as they would have liked for France, as Australia started with an impressive level of play, attacking and closing France down on all sides of the pitch and it paid off, as in the 9th minute they took a 1-0 lead thanks to Craig Goodwin’s goal.
This, instead of worrying France, simply woke them up, and with an impressive Griezmann leading every French attack, they managed to turn the score around with goals from Rabiot and Giroud in the 27th and 32nd minutes, respectively.
This gave the French team a lot of confidence and, after coming back from the break, they managed to score two more goals to finish crushing an Australia that turned off and dropped their arms after conceding the second goal in the first half.
Update 2
We have reached the last day of the group stage of the Qatar 2022 World Cup and only three teams have secured their ticket to the next stage, France, Brazil, and Portugal, the rest of the 13 qualified teams will be defined on this third day, so we will have life or death matches to find out the 16 teams that will qualify for the round of 16.
In Group D, as we mentioned, France has already qualified for the round of 16 after two victories in the first two matchdays. In the first match, they easily defeated Australia with a score of 4-1 and, in the second they managed to overcome a complacent Denmark with a double by Mbappé with a score of 2-1.
France is followed by Australia, who in their second match managed to beat Tunisia and are just one win away from qualifying, now they must face Denmark in a do-or-die match for both teams. Finally, we have Denmark and Tunisia, both with only 1 point, and who need to win in the last match to dream of staying alive in the tournament.
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Starting today, November 29, 2022, the matches corresponding to the third day of the group stage of the Qatar 2022 World Cup will be played and the group D matches will be as follows:
- Matchday 3: Tunisia vs. France (Wednesday, November 30 at 10:00 am ET.)
- Matchday 3: Australia vs. Denmark (Wednesday, November 30 at 10:00 am ET.)
As we can see, both matches are at the same time, so no one will know the outcome of the other matches, except at halftime.
Tunisia has the very complicated task of beating France which has looked very powerful and, above all, dangerous in this World Cup. In addition, Karim Benzema has recovered from injury and is expected to return to the French training camp in the coming hours.
France, already qualified, must at least secure a draw to stay at the top of the group and thus avoid facing first place in Group C.
The most electrifying match will be between Australia and Denmark, as the team that wins will undoubtedly be in the round of 16, so we expect a great battle between two great teams that dream of advancing to the next stage.
France vs. Denmark – Roundup
The French national team had to suffer in their match against Denmark to seal their ticket to the round of 16 of this World Cup. The Danes knew what it was like to beat France in an official match, and they tried their best.
So much so that the dominance of the ball was in favor of Denmark, who finished the match with 52% ball possession.
This match was very evenly matched and above all, open. Either team could score the first goal at any time and so it was, France could take the lead after a great goal scored by Kylian Mbappé in the 61st minute. But Denmark woke up with this goal and 7 minutes later they equalized the match with a great header by Andreas Christensen.
When everything looked like it was going to be a draw between these two teams and that they would seek qualification in the third match of the group stage, Mbappé pulled out the magic wand and gave France the victory with a goal in the 86th minute.
Tunisia vs. Australia – Roundup
Tunisia is one of the most surprising teams in these first two days of the group stage of the Qatar 2022 World Cup and, although they have not managed to win either of the two matches played, they have shown a high level of play in each of them.
When everyone took it for granted that Denmark would sweep them aside in the first match, they managed to hold on and generate a lot of danger to end the match 0-0. Then, against Australia, they continued to play at a very high level, but, in a defensive oversight, they conceded a goal by Mitchell Duke in the 23rd minute.
This did not make Tunisia give up, as they kept trying throughout the match to tie the score, but Australia had a solid defense that prevented them from doing so at all times.
Group D
Now, if we focus on the fourth group of this World Cup, that is to say, Group D, we have the following teams:
- France
- Australia
- Denmark
- Tunisia
As we can see, in Group D of the Qatar 2022 World Cup we have the reigning world champions, France. The team coached by Deschamps is one of the favorites to lift the trophy of world champions again, but they will face in the group stage one of the rivals who have played them better in recent months, Denmark.
The Danish team managed to beat France in the UEFA Nations League group match, winning both games, so they hope to repeat this feat in the world’s top soccer competition.
The group is completed by Australia and Tunisia, who are fully confident that either France or Denmark will stumble to have a chance of qualifying for the round of 16.
World Cup Group D: France
The current world champion, France, is the strongest team in this group and one of the strongest of the tournament itself, both for its track record in recent years, and for its roster since most of its players have a very important weight within the best teams in the world.
The players called up by France for the World Cup Qatar 2022 are:
Goalkeepers: Areola (West Ham), Lloris (Tottenham), and Mandanda (Rennes)
Defenses: Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Kimpembe (PSG), Konaté (Liverpool), Koundé (FC Barcelona), Pavard (Bayern Munich), Saliba (Arsenal), Upamecano (Bayern Munich), and Varane (Manchester United).
Midfielders: Camavinga (Real Madrid), Fofana (Monaco), Guendouzi (OM), Rabiot (Juventus), Tchouaméni (Real Madrid), Veretout (OM).
Forwards: Benzema (Real Madrid), Coman (Bayern Munich), Dembélé (FC Barcelona), Giroud (AC Milan), Griezmann (Atlético de Madrid), Mbappé (PSG), and Nkunku (Leipzig).
World Cup Group D: Denmark
Denmark, for its part, reached the round of 16 of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and semifinalist of the last European Championship, and if the expected happens, is the team with the best chance to finish second in Group D.
The team coached by Kasper Hjulmand knows that if they make it out of the group stage, they will be a tough opponent for any team no matter how strong they are. Their strength lies in their tactical versatility and the quality of their midfield, led by Christian Eriksen.
The players called up by Denmark for the Qatar 2022 World Cup are:
Goalkeepers: Kasper Schmeichel (Nice), and Oliver Christensen (Hertha Berlin).
Defenses: Daniel Wass (Brøndby), Rasmus Nissen Kristensen (Leeds United), Jens Stryger Larsen (Trabzonspor), Joakim Maehle (Atalanta), Andreas Christensen (FC Barcelona), Simon Kjaer (Milan AC), Joachim Andersen (Crystal Palace), and Victor Nelsson (Galatasaray).
Midfielders: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham), Thomas Delaney (FC Sevilla), Christian Eriksen (Manchester United), and Mathias Jensen (Brentford).
Forwards: Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford), Andreas Skov Olsen (Club Brugge), Jesper Lindstrom (Eintracht Frankfurt), Martin Braithwaite (Espanyol), Kasper Dolberg (FC Sevilla), Jonas Wind (Wolfsburgo), and Andreas Cornelius (FC Copenhague).
World Cup Group D: Tunisia
Tunisia will be looking to advance out of the group stage for the first time in its history at a World Cup. While they have been present in recent editions, they have not been lucky to advance to the Round of 16 party ever in their history.
While the idea that Tunisia could qualify for the Round of 16 is not far-fetched, they are a team that will likely need France and Denmark to slip up in their matches to achieve the feat.
Tunisia arrives at the World Cup in good shape. A 5-1 loss to Brazil in a September friendly was their first since Jalel Kadri was appointed coach in early 2022. The team won the Kirin Cup tournament in Japan after beating Chile 2-0 and Japan 3-0, their first victory over the latter country.
The players called up by Tunisia for the Qatar 2022 World Cup are:
Goalkeepers: Bechir Ben Said (US Monastir), Aymen Dahmen (CS Sfaxien), Mohamed Sedki Debchi (Esperance Tunis).
Defenses: Dylan Bronn (US Salernitana), Montassar Talbi (FC Lorient), Omar Rekik (Sparta Rotterdam), Nader Ghandri (Africain Tunis), Bilel Ifa (Kuwait SC), Ali Abdi (SM Caen), Ali Maâloul (El Ahly Cairo), Mortadha Ben Ouanes (Kasimpasa), Rami Kaib (SC Heerenveen), Yan Valery (Angers SCO), Mohamed Dräger (FC Luzern), and Hamza Mathlouthi (Zamalek).
Midfielders: Ellyes Skhiri (FC Colonia), Anis Slimane (Brondby IF), Aïssa Laïdouni (Ferencváros TC), Ferjani Sassi (Al-Duhail SC), Ghaylen Chaaleli (Esperance Tunis), Chaïm El Djebali (Olympique Lyon B), Hannibal Mejbri (Birmingham City), Saîf-Eddine Khaoui (Clermont Foot 63).
Forwards: Naïm Sliti (Ettifaq FC), Youssef Msakni (Al-Arabi SC), Sayfallah Ltaief (FC Basilea), Issam Jebali (Odense Boldklub), Wahbi Khazri (Montpellier HSC), Seifeddine Jaziri (Zamalek SC), Taha Yassine Khenissi (Kuwait SC).
World Cup Group D: Australia
Australia will try to repeat their best participation in the competition, in which they reached the round of 16 in 2006 in Germany. This year they will be aiming to achieve their goals and try to surpass their previous performances.
A fifth consecutive World Cup appearance is a great feat for a nation like Australia where soccer remains a marginal sport in a competitive domestic market. So too for this squad of players, whose limitations are at times all too evident, despite setting the world record for consecutive wins in a single qualifying campaign in the last year.
However, they arrive in Qatar on the euphoria of that penalty shootout win over Peru in the intercontinental playoff and having beaten New Zealand in their only two matches since.
Australia’s squad for the Qatar 2022 World Cup is:
Goalkeepers: Matt Ryan (Copenhague), Andrew Redmayne (Sydney FC), Danny Vukovic (Central Coast Mariners).
Defenses: Milos Degenek (Columbus Crew), Aziz Behich (Dundee United), Joel King (OB), Nathaniel Atkinson, Kye Rowles (Hearts), Fran Karacic (Brescia), Harry Souttar (Stoke City), Bailey Wright (Sunderland) y Thomas Deng (Albirex Niigata).
Midfielders: Aaron Mooy (Celtic), Jackson Irvine (St. Pauli), Ajdin Hrustic (Hellas Verona), Keanu Baccus (St. Mirren), Cameron Devlin (Hearts) y Riley McGree (Middlesbrough).
Forwards: Awer Mabil (Cádiz), Mathew Leckie (Melbourne City), Martin Boyle (Hibernian), Jamie Maclaren (Melbourne City), Jason Cummings, Garang Kuol (Central Coast Mariners), Mitchell Duke (Fagiano Okayama) y Craig Goodwin (Adelaida United).
Favorite team in Group D
France is not only the favorite to finish top of Group D, but they are also one of the main contenders for the title. The reigning champions boast a prodigious generation, with much of the bloc that won the World Cup in 2018, to which has been added Benzema, the 2022Ballon d’Or.
Group D schedule
- Matchday 1: Denmark vs. Tunisia (Tuesday, November 22 at 08:00 am ET.)
- Matchday 1: France vs. Australia (Tuesday, November 22 at 02:00 pm ET.)
- Matchday 2: Tunisia vs. Australia (Saturday, November 26 at 05:00 am ET.)
- Matchday 2: France vs. Denmark (Saturday, November 26 at 11:00 am ET.)
- Matchday 3: Tunisia vs. France (Wednesday, November 30 at 10:00 am ET.)
- Matchday 3: Australia vs. Denmark (Wednesday, November 30 at 10:00 am ET.)
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