Tunisia worked tirelessly to take a point from a Denmark side who began the tournament as one of the more heavily favoured teams.
And our Man of the Match is …
Aïssa Laïdouni (Tunisia)
When Tunisia midfielder Aïssa Laïdouni celebrated a tackle by beating his chest in only the first minute of the game, it set a relentless tone for his side throughout the match.
Yet his was not only a cheerleading role.
Laïdouni was an effective midfield enforcer, breaking up Denmark’s play with tough tackles and keeping his team’s movement flowing with his accurate passing.
His combative display was a large part of the reason of why Tunisia were so effective at not only keeping Denmark contained, but managed to create chances of their own too.
In fact, Laïdouni could’ve sealed his superb performance with a goal of his own having been played through to face Kasper Schmeichel in a one-on-one situation, but a moment’s hesitation was enough to give Denmark the upper hand.
To say that the former Angers youth product covered every blade of grass would not be too much of an exaggeration. It was a performance that a player like Daniele De Rossi or Roy Keane would’ve been proud of during their own playing careers.
The 25-year-old only received his first call to the Tunisia national team in 2021, but after this display, he’ll surely be one of the first names on the team-sheet from now on.
