Mbappé nets brace as France beat Denmark to secure last 16 place

The fourth meeting between the duo at the World Cup saw both sides engage in short bursts of midfield play without taking proper control. France, fired up by their 4-1 rout of Australia, proved marginally more outgoing than their northern neighbours, as they gradually began unsettling them.

Minutes after Danish defender Andreas Christensen broke down a potential one-on-one situation with a cynical challenge, Adrien Rabiot rose high to force Kasper Schmeichel into a wonderful save to create the first real chance of the match.

Denmark regained confidence post the half-hour mark, registering their first goal attempt via Andreas Cornelius following a counter-attack, despite the Copenhagen striker hitting the side netting. Unfazed, Les Bleus continued their charge for the opener, only to see Antoine Griezmann and Mbappé waste the goalscoring opportunities presented to them. Kasper Hjulmand’s men tried to disrupt the rhythm of the reigning world champions as half-time approached, but fell short of ideas going forward, eventually ending the half with no shots on target.

France didn’t hold back after the restart, bombarding the Danes with successive chances. The best of them saw both Griezmann and Mbappé sky their efforts up into the stands, but they didn’t have to wait long for the opener, which arrived right on the hour mark via the latter. Weaving through the left wing, the PSG star executed a brilliant one-two with Theo Hernández before blindsiding Schmeichel by squeezing the ball between two defenders into the bottom right corner.

However, their joy was short-lived, as goal-shy Denmark equalised just minutes later from Christensen's powerful header, which Hugo Lloris could do nothing about following a corner delivery. End-to-end chances began to unfold as the final minutes dawned, and Denmark were paid to pay for Martin Braithwaite's miss from point-blank range.

Mbappé once again proved to be instrumental, and the 23-year-old Frenchman settled it with a poacher’s finish following a cross from Griezmann in the 86th minute, leaving the Danes in a do-or-die situation for their final clash against Australia. The result arrives as a good omen for France, as they’ve gone on to win the World Cup on the previous two occasions they faced and avoided defeat against Denmark.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Kylian Mbappé (France)