Denmark got their World Cup campaign off to an underwhelming start as Tunisia, backed by a raucous crowd, earned a draw in Doha.
Andreas Cornelius missed a golden chance as Tunisia claimed a hard-fought point in a battling 0-0 draw with Denmark at the World Cup.
Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark were tipped by some as dark horses for glory in Qatar, but Tunisia gave them a tough test.
Backed by a huge and raucous support at the Education City Stadium on Tuesday, Tunisia could have easily gained more from their Group D opener, with Kasper Schmeichel making a superb save to deny Issam Jebali in the first half.
Cornelio’s missed shot summed up a frustrating day for Denmark, while Tunisia survived a late check thrown into the area against Yassine Meriah.
Denmark’s positive start was only further mocked by the passionate Tunisian crowd, who cheered Aissa Laidouni’s full-blooded save on Christian Eriksen as a goal.
It appeared to be a real goal when Jebali got in behind and finished superbly, but an offside flag cut short the Tunisian celebrations.
Jebali stayed in the best chance of the half and Schmeichel raced out to make a wonderful save from the striker’s chip.
After Andreas Skov Olsen had a goal conceded for offside, Aymen Dahmen’s superb save denied Christian Eriksen a spectacular strike, although Denmark should have gone ahead from a corner.
Substitute Cornelius somehow headed against the post from less than a yard out, with Tunisia scrambling at the other end to claim the ball in the box from Joachim Andersen.
Given these appeals, Tunisia looked set to suffer a cruel blow when the ball hit Meriah’s arm in stoppage time, but referee Cesar Arturo Ramos decided not to award a penalty after consulting the pitch monitor.
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