Key events
Thank you very much for joining me. Here is the Nick Ames’ report from an entering night in Qatar.
How Australia made it to the last 16.
Scenes in Sydney.
Paul Fitzgerland on Griezmann’s penguin: “How can a man do any class of a silly celebration with VAR lurking around the corner to make a fool out of you afterwards?”
Pingu would have known better.
France will play the runners up from Group C, while Australia will face the winners. It could be any of Poland, Saudi Arabia, Argentina or Mexico, to be honest.
This is how Group D finished.
Until Griezmann, Mbappe and Dembele were all on the pitch, France were utterly woeful. It does not say much for the strength in depth within Deschamps’ squad.
Tunisia have won their first match against European opposition in a World Cup, against the reigning champions, no less.
Full-time: Tunisia 1-0 France
What an incredible victory in vain. Tunisia were fantastic from start to finish and thoroughly deserve the points but it is not enough to take them through due to Australia’s win over Denmark. France’s much-changed side deserved absolutely nothing. A silly end to the game in the end with VAR ruling out Griezmann’s effort ages after it hit the net.
NO GOAL! Tunisia 1-0 France
The referee takes a look to see if Griezmann counts as being offside because the defender is forced to head clear, from which the France forward volleyed home. What a palaver from VAR!
Oh wait … there is a VAR check for offside .
GOAL! Tunisia 1-1 France (Griezmann, 90+8)
It really was not to be for Tunisia. Griezmann volleys home from 10 yards and then does a penguin celebration.
90+7 mins: France win a corner on the right. Griezmann sends it in and Tunisia clear, before launching a long way clear.
90+6 mins: Mbappe clips a cross beyond everyone in the box and out for a goal kick, resulting in a great cheer from the Tunisians.
90+4 mins: Mbappe lines up the free-kick … but sends it straight into the wall. He collects the ball and whips in a dipping cross that bounces just in front of the keeper who thrashes it clear with his hands.
90+2 mins: Tunisia have been under pressure for a while here, so eight minutes of injury time will be a tough ask. A lot of the players look very tired.
Griezmann flicks the ball to Mbappe, he takes a couple of touches but is clipped from behind 23 yards out.
90 mins: Kolo Muani gets the ball 20 yards from goal after a neat passing exchange. He takes aim for the corner but the goalkeeper reads it and turns behind.
Eight minutes added on, of course.
89 mins: Incredible stuff from Mbappe, who collects the ball on the left, flips and flaps his feet to beat the defender on the byline before hitting a vicious shot that Dahmen does well to palm away.
88 mins: Dembele is stretching the Tunisia defence. He gets the ball on the right wing but takes a horrendous touch to take it out of play for a goal-kick.
He gets a chance to make amends but his pass across the box is nowhere near a teammates, allowing Tunisia to collect and clear.
86 mins: Mbappe pings a crossfield pass to Dembele, he takes a touch and whips the cross to the back post for Rabiot, who is unmarked but his volley goes well wide.
84 mins: Full back Abdi comes on for Ben Slimane. Tunisia are doing their best to shut up shop.
82 mins: Dahmen forgets the rules and allows a bouncing ball to go behind after coming off a teammate. Not the best goalkeeping you will ever see. Dahmen makes up for it by saving a dipping shot from Dembele.
80 mins: Dembele replaces Guendouzi. Good to see France are going for it, at least.
Griezmann and Mbappe have brought a spark to France, helped by Tunisia sitting incredibly deep in an attempt to hold on for the win.
Griezmann sends in a corner from the left, which Disasi heads over via a deflection. Another corner is whipped but it is cleared.
78 mins: Maaloul goes down and holds his face but gets quickly up when he realises he can tackle Griezmann on the flank. I suspect Tunisia are now in time-wasting mode.
76 mins: Australia still lead 1-0 against Denmark. It would mean the Socceroos would go through along with France.
Fill your boots on Morocco.
74 mins: Rabiot breaks through the Tunisia midfield, lays it off to Mbappe and continues his run. Sadly, the PSG forward’s return pass goes out for a goal kick. This France performance is infecting everyone.
Ben Romdhane trudges off and Chaalali comes on.
72 mins: Kolo Muani bundles his way into the Tunisia box but is eventually crowded out by a number of white shirts.
Mbappe gets the ball and is booed by the Tunisia fans. He tries to cross the ball but it goes straight out of play.
Griezmann is coming on for Fofana, who has been mediocre from start to finish.
70 mins: Maaloul sends in a poor corner to the front post, which is knocked behind by Jebali. Oh well.
News on our pitch invader.
Pitch invader draped in a Palestine flag here at Tunisia – France. Crowd chanting “Palestine” as he’s marched off by six or seven security guards.
— Mark Douglas (@MsiDouglas) November 30, 2022
68 mins: Jebali writhes around in pain after being caught on the ankle. I am not sure how injured he is or if he is just wasting time.
There is a pitch invader, who the MSM will not show!
66 mins: Mbappe’s first involvement is to be caught offside. “He is the best play on the planet, he doesn’t need to,” bemoans Keown.
“I got bored enough earlier to look up the etymology of Tunisia.” I am trying my best Kári Tulinius. “Apparently it ultimately derives from a Berber verb meaning “to lie down” or “to encamp”. As things stand now, nominative determinism is favouring the latter meaning. Hopefully the game picks up now.”
64 mins: Australia are leading against Denmark, which means Tunisia would still go out even if they win.
Triple change for France, Varane, Coman and Veretout off, Mbappe, Saliba and Rabiot on.
62 mins: Disasi nudges Ben Romdhane over, leaving the Tunisian on the deck clutching his face. The referee does not care for a while but eventually blows up.
Most of France’s performance has been in slow motion.
60 mins: Khazri departs and is replaced by Jebali. What a way to depart.
France have been utterly crap.
58 mins: The first Tunisia arrives after Fofana loses the ball in midfield. The ball goes forward to Khazri 30 yards from goal, he gets it out of his feet and dribbles into the box almost unchallenged, before slipping the ball past Mandanda.
GOAL! Tunisia 1-0 France (Khazri, 58)
The moment Tunisia have been waiting for!
57 mins: A Tunisia cross comes in from the right but it goes straight to Disasi. The France defender fails to control the ball but Mandanda sweeps down to collect.
55 mins: If Tunisia had a Premier League quality striker, they would be out of sight in this match but they do not possess anyone with conviction of movement or finishing.
53 mins: Fofana tries to shepherd the ball out of play from about 15 yards from the touchline. He goes down under pressure from Laidouni. It does not look like there is much in it and the Tunisian takes the ball away but his shot is always rising over the bar.
51 mins: Coman spins Talbi with ease to lead a France breakout but no one can keep up with him and he is forced to check his run.
The cameras find Gianni Infantino in the stands. He does not look happy, which is a shame.
49 mins: There is a little battle for possession 35 yards from the Tunisia goal. It ends with Veretout on the floor in pain. It is a scrappy start to the half.
47 mins: Kharzi flicks the ball over for Skhiri, it looks like the ball is controlled on his arm but France clear anyway and the referee allows play to continue.
Tchouaméni slides in on Khazri in the box. He gets a touch on the ball but Khazri wants a penalty, not that the referee cares.
Second half
Here we go again!
It is 0-0 in Australia v Denmark, too.
Jason Geer defends France: “I think when you consider some of these French players are 5th or 6th choice at their position (no Pogba, Kante, Benzema, Nkunku, Hernandez, Kimpembe), it’s quite impressive they can step in today and potentially earn points in a World Cup match. What other nation besides Brazil is this deep?”
Either way, no one for France – except Konate – is performing to the best of their ability.
Half time: Tunisia 0-0 France
Tunisia have been the better team by a mile, while France have played some ludicrously low-quality and disjointed stuff. If there is any justice, Tunisia will win this match.
45 mins: Two minutes added on.
44 mins: Andy ‘not that one’ Flintoff emails: “Re France’s XI being their first team’s tribute act, are they singing the same tunes, just in the Vic Reeves’ club-singer stylee.”
Yeah, that’s about the level.
42 mins: Guendouzi has the ball 35 yards from goal, tries to find Camavinga on the left but just passing it out of play. That sums up the opening 42 minutes for France. I don’t think Deschamps will have too many selection headaches for their last-16 game.
40 mins: Tunisia are also impressive in defence. They have only conceded one in the tournament after all but the World Cup is a competition of fine margins.
38 mins: France are currently playing like a tribute act to the normal starting XI. Very much the Friday night at a working men’s club version of Mbappe et al. I am not sure you could charge entry.
36 mins: Varane half clears a ball straight to Khazri, he takes a touch and whacks a vicious volley at goal. It is straight at Mandanda who gets down well to hold.
34 mins: Maaloul swings in a cracking cross from the left to the back post but Camavinga reads it and knocks the ball behind for a corner, which is, unsurprisingly, hit to the fronts post for the France left-back to head clear.
