Denmark and Tunisia played out the first goalless draw of the 2022 World Cup, but the game was not without action as both sides wasted good opportunities to take all three points.
Both Group D teams had the ball in the net before seeing offside calls go against them on an afternoon where Christian Eriksen returned to a major tournament for the first time since collapsing on the pitch during Euro 2020 last year.
Sportsmail takes a look at how both teams fared at the Education City Stadium with our player rankings.
DENMARK (4-3-3)
Kasper Schmeichel – No longer a Premier League force but still a top-class goalkeeper after making what is likely to be one of the saves of the tournament to deny Jebali in the first half. 8
Kasper Schmeichel produced a top class save to deny Tunisia in the first half
Joachim Andersen – Looked to be targeted by Tunisia, but after a sticky start grew into the game and eventually produced a composed display in the second half. 6
Simon Kjær – Passed shortly after the hour mark after putting in a mostly flawless showing. However, the captain struggled to inspire his side and was too slow to distribute play from the back. 6
Andreas Christensen – Good display from the Barcelona and former Chelsea man who made a number of key blocks to keep Tunisia at bay. 7
Rasmus Kristensen – Got a tough booking but couldn’t quite match Eriksen on the right to get Denmark’s attack flowing. 6
Thomas Delaney – Grew into the first half after failing to get a hold of the game, but was forced off injured at half-time after going down hard in a challenge. 6
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – The Tottenham midfielder was one of the Danish players who had a better first half than the second half, with a long drive well saved by the Tunisia stopper. 6
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg came close to scoring for Denmark with a long range shot
Joakim Maehle – Largely ineffective on the left but started to grow in more influence as Denmark made changes in the second half and pushed for a winner. 6.5
Andreas Skov Olsen – Found the net for Denmark, but the play had already been brought back for offside. Otherwise did little else to threaten before departure. 5
Kasper Dolberg – Couldn’t contribute much either, apart from a snap at the near post which Skov Olsen should have attacked to score. 5
Christian Eriksen – Haven’t lost a step. Dead balls caused all sorts of problems for Tunisia and he will be a key player for Denmark in these finals. 8
Christian Eriksen was at his creative best from set pieces, at least for Denmark on Tuesday
REPLACE
Mathias Jensen – Brought energy to Denmark’s attack after coming on. Took one for the team after being called for a professional foul to stop a counter attack. 6.5
Mikkel Damsgaard – Replaced the injured Delaney but he also didn’t find the creative edge to break down Tunisia who were comfortable defending against him. 5
Andreas Cornelius – Replaced Skov Olsen to offer more threat but ultimately missed the golden chance to score the winner by failing to head in from just two yards out. 5
Jesper Lindstrom – Made little impact on the game and was as ineffective as the rest of Denmark’s substitutes. 6
Andreas Cornelius (21) failed to tap in a later header to win the match for Denmark
TUNISIA (3-4-3)
Aymen Dahmen – Like his opposite number, he was almost flawless and made some key saves while looking tidy coming off the line to collect crosses. 8
Montassar Talbi – Did well to hold the left side of the back three and was often alert enough to produce crucial clearances. 7
Yassine Meriah – Survived the late penalty call for handball that would likely have cost Tunisia an important World Cup point after a strong performance. 7
Dylan Bronn – So little to the ball, but was part of a stubborn three that made Denmark hugely frustrated in the hunt for victory. 6
Mohamed Drager – Had a shot in the first half that took an ugly deflection before going just wide of Schmeichel’s goal. Changed to a standing ovation late. 7
Ellye’s Skhiri – Excellent view in the middle of the park. Contribute to the defense while playing a role in Tunisia’s attack high up the pitch as well as on the counter. 7
Aissa Laidouni – Set the tone early with a crunching tackle on Eriksen and never let up afterwards. Produced a tireless display that helped fire up the Tunisia supporters. 7
Tunisia’s Aissa Laidouni put in an energetic performance as Tunisia grabbed an important draw
Ali Abdi – Officially down as a midfielder, but he seemed to spend most of the game acting as an extra defender. In any case, it proved effective to get a draw. 6.5
Anise Ben Slimane – One of the least effective of Tunisia’s stars – rarely saw the ball before being substituted with 23 minutes remaining. 7
Issam Jebali – Saw a goal ruled out after a cool finish, but probably should have scored after being played in on goal in a one-on-one with Schmeichel. 7
Youssef Msakni – An excellent show from the Tunisia captain who led by example in tireless coverage of the pitch in defense and attack before being substituted after putting in the hard yards. 8.5
REPLACE
Naim Wear – Didn’t have many opportunities to attack after coming on, but when he did he had to be hacked down to prevent a dangerous counter-attack developing. 6
Issam Jebali was a constant threat in attack for Tunisia as they grabbed a World Cup point
