5 talking points as Tunisia stun Deschamps' France but fall short of last 16

France rounded off their World Cup group stage campaign with an unconvincing 1-0 defeat against Tunisia, but still went through as winners of Group D.

Didier Deschamps made nine changes from the team which beat Denmark with top spot assured, with only Raphael Varane and Aurelien Tchouameni keeping their starting spots. That meant opportunities for fringe players, including veteran goalkeeper Steve Mandanda and debutant Axel Disasi.

It was a disjointed first hour from the reigning champions, though, and Tunisia's opener - scored by Wahbi Khazri - was no less than they deserved. France turned to record-breaker Kylian Mbappe as they looked to recover a result, and thought they had equalised at the death only for Antoine Griezmann's goal to be disallowed following a VAR check.

Tunisia had the ball in the net inside 10 minutes, with Nader Ghandri volleying home, but the offside flag saved Les Bleus. It was a disjointed first half from the reigning world champions, though, and the underdogs continued to push after the break knowing a last-16 place wasn't out of the question.

Shortly before the hour mark, they got their breakthrough as Wahbi Khazri found the corner with his last touch before being substituted. France turned to the cavalry as they chased an equaliser, with Mbappe, Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele leaving the bench.

A couple of big stops from goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen kept Tunisia ahead, but Australia's win against Denmark meant it ultimately wasn't enough. Here are Mirror Football 's talking points from a frustrating 90 minutes.

1. Dembele sorely missed

Ousmane Dembele has been one of France's most impressive performers so far, but with the Barcelona man rested there was a chance for Kingsley Coman to stake his claim. The Champions League winner struggled early on, though, squandering one of France's best chances with a heavy touch and rushed finish after finding space.

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Coman made way after the hour mark, with Kylian Mbappe entering the fray in a triple change. The Bayern man's audition had not gone to plan, and Dembele's 12-minute cameo produced as many moments of real danger as Coman's hour.

He wasn't the only fringe player who failed to convince. Mandanda had one or two nervy moments, and would have liked to do better with Khazri's goal, while Jordan Veretout was - like Coman - only given an hour before Deschamps introduced Adrien Rabiot. One would expect the line-up for the last 16 to be closer to what we saw against Denmark.

2. More minutes for Varane

Ahead of the tournament, Deschamps said he would not pick players who couldn't prove their fitness to him. Varane was perhaps on the borderline, having sustained an injury playing for Manchester United, but started against Denmark and kept his place against Tunisia.

It was a busy afternoon for the former Real Madrid man, who was forced to head away a dangerous early set-piece from inside the goalmouth. While a full-strength France might have expected to dominate, it was a different case with this selection.

After an hour, Varane was withdrawn for William Saliba, having failed to stop Tunisia taking the lead. There were positives from the 29-year-old, but France will hope there's more to come from him.

3. Khazri causing problems

At 31 years of age, Wahbi Khazri might have been playing his final World Cup match. If that's the case, he looked like a man attempting to make up for lost time after starting neither of Tunisia's first two games.

Khazri's time in the Premier League was short-lived, though there were occasional sparks during his time at Sunderland. He has remained active in Ligue 1, though, scoring a sensational goal from his own half during the 2021-22 season.

Tunisia's first two games have seen Aissa Laidouni steal the headlines, but Khazri looked like the man most likely to deliver against France. Sure enough, he was the man to break the deadlock, keeping his cool to burst through the French back-line before beating the advancing Mandanda.

4. Camavinga unconvincing in new role

With Lucas Hernandez injured and his brother Theo rested, France boss Didier Deschamps made the surprising move of starting Eduardo Camavinga at left-back. It's not a position the Real Madrid man has been accustomed to, and he had some teething problems.

An early foul on Aissa Laidouni sent Camavinga into the book, but he stuck to his task. An important interception was needed to deny the late-arriving Ghandri after half an hour, and the former Rennes man didn't allow himself to be bullied.

There were still nervy moments, not least when he switched off to allow Khazri in behind on the stroke of half time. On that occasion too, though, the offside flag came to France's rescue, but even as the game drifter on there was a sense that France will not be in a hurry to throw Camavinga in at left-back again.

5. Close but no cigar for Tunisia

Even before kick-off, Tunisia knew they would be up against it. A deserved draw with Denmark was followed by a frustrating match-up with Australia, and they knew their fate was not in their hands ahead of the meeting with the champions.

Perhaps this is what allowed them to play with no fear, but that's certainly what happened. All they could do was get their own part of the job done and hope the result between Denmark and Australia went their way.

Jalel Kadri's team briefly had a foot in the last 16, but their hope was short-lived as Matthew Leckie struck for Australia. Still, the damage had been done before this game.

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