FRANCE 2 Denmark 1 suggests a close game, but in reality Le Bleu were always on top in this intriguing Group D encounter on Saturday night.

They had half a dozen first-half chances before the Danes had once entered their box.

Both sides squandered respectable opportunities as the two teams, playing a similar style of football, cancelled each other out.

Nor was there any of that intense, tight, physical marking and fighting for the ball that has typified so many other games at Qatar.

There was no score at the break and, to be honest, it was a pretty low-intensity affair and not too entertaining for the fans.

The pace was upped in the second 45, with the effervescent Kylian Mbappe forcing a good save from Kasper Schmeichel and Antoine Griezmann pulling down a long pass well but thumping it into row Z.

But France would not be denied, and some first-rate interplay at high speed saw Lucas Hernandez pull the ball back to Mbappe who beat Schmeichel via a deflection, one nil to France.

The lead didn’t last long as a Christian Eriksen corner was flicked on by Joachim Andersen, and Erik Christensen added the finishing touch to make it 1-1.

Denmark had another super chance when Jesper Lindstrom’s close range shot was saved by Lloris.

They had another miss when Kasper Dolberg fed Martin Braithwaite, whose rasping shot skimmed the side of the post as it went wide.

However, the Danes were mostly being pinned back and doing some dogged defending, parking the bus in an attempt to deny the greyhound, Mbappe.

But that was trying to catch the wind and with five minutes to go, a Griezmann cross was barrelled over the line off the hip of Mbappe to send France to the Round of 16 and Denmark back to the drawing board.