At the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East, Arab teams are having an impact.
Three hours after Saudi Arabia shocked Argentina by defeating them, Tunisia held semifinals Denmark for the European Championship to a scoreless draw.
Tunisia undoubtedly deserved more in front of a stadium almost totally filled with its red-clad fans, but a brilliant save by Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel just before halftime helped Denmark hold onto the draw.
After Tunisia’s defense was breached, Schmeichel, who had already sunk to the ground, stuck his palm up to deflect a shot from Issam Jebali, who plays club soccer for Odense in Denmark.
Argentina’s 36-match unbeaten streak ends in the FIFA World Cup, but Italy’s record stands.
It was just the sort of save that the keeper’s father, legendary Manchester United great Peter Schmeichel, used to pull off.
The match marked Christian Eriksen’s return to a major event less than a year and a half after his cardiac episode with Denmark at Euro 2020.
Eriksen, who was playing as the playmaker as usual, forced Tunisia goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen to block a dangerous long-range shot on goal from Eriksen in the second half.
And then Denmark struck the post at the next corner.
After a video review for a potential handball, the referee decided to allow play to continue, saving Tunisia from the possibility of a last-second penalty for Denmark.
Danish players wore all-black long-sleeve shirts over their red game jerseys during the pre-game warmup to honor migrant workers who lost their lives constructing infrastructure for football’s biggest event. Denmark has been one of the most vocal opponents of the tournament in Qatar.
Prior to FIFA threatening to issue yellow cards, Denmark was also going to participate in the “One Love” anti-discrimination armband campaign with other European teams.
Saudi Arabia shocks Argentina 2-1 in the opening major upset of the World Cup in Qatar.
However, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, a former Danish prime minister who is currently in charge of the Danish football federation’s governance and development council, was in attendance at the stadium sporting a coat with a light rainbow pattern.
Following its achievement at Euro 2020 last year and a nearly flawless qualifying campaign, Denmark has high expectations, while Tunisia is aiming to make it past the group stage for the first time in its sixth World Cup appearance.
The overwhelming presence of Tunisian fans inside Education City Stadium created a home-like feeling for the North African team after several of the opening matches lacked excitement. When Tunisia possessed the ball, the supporters cheered, beat on drums, and blew air horns; yet, if Denmark had the ball, they hissed and whistled loudly.
Many onlookers who were waving Palestinian flags were also in favor of Tunisia.
Assa Ladouni of Tunisia, a midfielder, set the tone in the opening minute when he aggressively tackled Eriksen to take the ball away. He then rose up and pumped his arms menacingly while signaling to the audience to get riled up.
In the end, 13 shots were taken by each team.
