Home ›› 27 Sep 2022 ›› Sport
Holders France needed a favour to avoid relegation from the top tier on Sunday after their defeat to Denmark.
Les Bleus lost 2-0 in Denmark to finish with just one win from their six group games, but Croatia’s 3-1 win at Austria saved the world champions from the drop.
Didier Deschamps will be hoping to have a number of key men back from injury by the time France’s defence of the World Cup begins on November 22.
“It was a young French team, which for the most part does not yet have experience of the highest level,” said Deschamps. “Tonight is a dose of reality and what will be waiting for us in two months.”
France will also come up against the Danes in the group stage in Qatar and the Euro 2020 semi-finalists showed they are more than capable of causing trouble.
Both goals came before half-time as Kasper Dolberg stretched to turn home Mikkel Damsgaard’s cross before Andreas Skov Olsen volleyed in.
The star trio of Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappe failed to find a way back into the game for France.
Denmark’s win meant Croatia needed to get all three points in Austria to top the group, which they did.
