FIFA World Cup 2022: France 2, Denmark 1

Kylian Mbappé produced a wonderful performance against Denmark, scoring both goals for Les Bleus in a 2-1 win to secure a place in the last 16.

Denmark had already beaten France twice in the Nations League this year and again kept them at bay as it looked like the game could be heading to a stalemate. That was until the 61st minute when Mbappé played a clever one-two with left-back Theo Hernández and finished off the move with a first-time shot past a stricken Kasper Schmeichel.

France’s lead was to last only 7 minutes, however, as Andreas Christensen produced a powerful header to level the score after a smart flick-on by Joachim Andersen.

The winner was ultimately scored in the 86th minute when Antoine Griezmann picked out Mbappé with an inch-perfect cross from the edge of the box, and the PSG striker tapped it into the goal to take his international tally to 31 and win the match for France.

This result leaves France at the top of the group with 6 points, whereas Denmark sits third with one point, knowing that their final group match against Australia will decide which of the two qualifies with the defending world champions.

Expected goals (xG): France 2.14, Denmark 0.66

Man of the Match: Kylian Mbappé, France

Unsurprisingly, the French goalscorer produced high numbers in every metric we collect and provided much more than just his goals. He completed four of the 10 dribbles he attempted and completed 87.1% of his passes. He also generated an expected goals tally of 0.94, with four of his six shots hitting the target and one deemed unsaveable by our metrics.

All of this led to another classic World Cup performance from Mbappé.

Best Passer: Aurélien Tchouaméni, France

Tchouaméni put on an impressive display on all fronts, completing 65 of the 66 passes he attempted, leaving him with a success rate of 98.5%. He also managed to complete five line-breaking passes and two key passes.

Best Challenger: Theo Hernández, France

Hernández didn’t just help his team out going forward, but he also stopped Denmark from progressing up the field on multiple occasions. He came out on top on five of his six challenges — leaving him with an 83.3% success rate — winning 4-of-4 tackles and one of his two aerial duels.

Goalkeepers

Neither goalkeeper was in great form today, as both conceded a goal that was deemed saveable.

If there is any consolation for Schmeichel, it is that he could’ve done nothing about Mbappé’s second goal and saved four of the six shots on target he faced.

Lloris won’t be happy with his performance, stopping only one of the two shots on target Denmark produced.