EASIER SAID THAN DANE!

Much-fancied Denmark have Schmeichel to thank as Tunisians push them to the limit

CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN and Kasper Schmeichel were pushed to the limit as the Eagles of Carthage almost caused carnage.

The world-class duo were called upon to dig deep as the north Africans turned the Education City Stadium into a sea of red, twisting the screw on the much-fancied Danes.

Eriksen (above, left), taking to the tournament stage for the first time since his cardiac arrest at the Euros, was welcomed to his third World Cup with a monster challenge inside the opening 60 seconds.

And then Schmeichel was forced to use all his experience to keep Jalel Kadri’s side at bay with a wonder save.

A huge Tunisian expat community created a cacophony of noise and they were roused within seconds after midfielder Aissa Laidouni smashed into the Manchester United playmaker.

It was a beautifully timed tackle that set the tone and the Ferencvaros enforcer stood up and thumped his chest, receiving a rapturous reception.

Laidouni, who won FIFA’S player-ofthe-match award, said: “It was important to come into the game with a lot of determination – it’s the World

Cup, the most important competition in the world. It’s amazing to the fans we have here and we needed to show them we wanted to give everything.”

Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand admitted the Tunisians’ high-energy approach had unsettled his side.

He said: “We didn’t play quickly enough, we played slowly. We weren’t satisfied at the end of the game.”

Tunisia (applauding their fans, below) came close to taking the lead before half-time when Youssef Msakni’s half-hit shot was controlled en route to goal by Issam Jebali.

The striker tried to flick the ball over Schmeichel, who was on his way down, but the Danish No.1 flung an arm up to divert it around the post.

It was a vital stop. The Danes upped the tempo in the final quarter and came closest to snatching the win.

Joachim Anderson’s header from Eriksen’s corner went back across goal only for sub Andreas Cornelius to nod the ball against the upright.

In the dying seconds, another Eriksen corner struck the arm of Yassine Meriah. VAR officials called the attention of referee Cesar Ramos to the potential offence and the stadium held its collective breath.

But the Mexican official saw something else as the players jostled for position and awarded a free-kick in Tunisia’s favour.

Tunisia coach Kadri said: “We’ve played against a powerhouse of a team and performed very well.”