In Pictures

Gallery|In Pictures

Photos: Mbappe scores twice as France overcome Denmark

France become the first team to book a spot in the World Cup knockout stage with a 2-1 victory in a lively encounter.

France's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring his sides second goal
France's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the World Cup Group D match between France and Denmark at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, on November 26, 2022. [Thanassis Stavrakis/AP]
Published On 26 Nov 2022

Kylian Mbappe scored a second-half double as France became the first team to book their spot in the World Cup knockout stage by defeating a feisty Danish team 2-1 in a tense encounter.

After a goalless first half on Saturday in which the defending champions dominated but failed to convert, defender Theo Hernandez linked up with the electric Mbappe, whose shot deflected off the heel of Andreas Christensen and into the back of the net to give France the lead in the 61st minute.

Denmark levelled seven minutes later when Christensen made up for the deflection by blasting a powerful header past distraught French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

Mbappe finished the job in the 86th minute, converting on a cross from Antoine Griezmann and propelling the ball into the back of the net with his thigh.

France sit atop Group D with six points, three ahead of Australia, which beat Tunisia 1-0 earlier in the day. The Danes and the Tunisians both have one point.

France will take on Tunisia, and Denmark will meet the Socceroos in the final group matches.

Boney M
France fans cheer inside the stadium as they prepare to take on Denmark, a team they have defeated more times than not. [Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters]
Advertisement
Denmark's Rasmus Kristensen in action with France's Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe faces heavy pressure from Danish defenders. Denmark's Andreas Christensen would go on to earn a yellow card for challenging the star French forward. [Lee Smith/Reuters]
France's Olivier Giroud in action with Denmark's Joakim Mahle.
French forward Olivier Giroud, in action with Denmark's Joakim Maehle, is thwarted in his search for a record-breaking 52nd goal for France. [Carl Recine/Reuters]
France's Ousmane Dembele in action
Forward Ousmane Dembele, in blue, left the scoring to Mbappe but outmanoeuvred the Danish defenders and made France's 2-1 victory happen in a performance that was called "dazzling" and "selfless". [Marko Djurica/Reuters]
Mbappe scores their first goal.
Mbappe scores France's first goal 61 minutes into the match. [Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters]
Denmark's Andreas Christensen celebrates scoring their first goal.
Denmark's Andreas Christensen celebrates after putting a header into the French net, bringing the score to an even 1-1. [Hannah McKay/Reuters]
Advertisement
mbappe celebrates
Mbappe celebrates after scoring his second goal for France, putting them in the lead at 2-1. [Peter Cziborra/Reuters]
Christian Eriksen, right, and France's Kingsley Coman battle for the ball during the World Cup
Denmark's Christian Eriksen, right, and France's Kingsley Coman battle for the ball as Denmark fights to respond to Mbappe's second goal. [Peter Cziborra/Reuters]
Didier Deschamps celebrates after the match
Didier Deschamps will lead his team into their final group game against Tunisia, knowing a draw would guarantee them a top spot [Peter Cziborra/Reuters]