A proud day for Eriksen and Hannibal in Qatar

Tuesday 22 November 2022 15:49

Manchester United players Christian Eriksen and Hannibal were opponents at the World Cup on Tuesday afternoon as Denmark drew 0-0 with Tunisia in Group D.

Although the result was not what either player wanted, it was still a proud day for the two Reds and a competitve encounter undoubtedly entertained the fans at the Education City Stadium.

Eriksen made his first appearance in a major international tournament since suffering a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020, an incident which threatened to end his professional playing career.

The 30-year-old was named in Denmark's starting XI by manager Kasper Hjulmand and notably wore the captain’s armband during the second half when regular skipper Simon Kjaer was taken off.

Christian can now say that he’s played in three World Cup tournaments, after previously making appearances in the 2010 and 2018 competitions.

Speaking to us ahead of the game, Eriksen told us: “It’ll be very special. The World Cup is only once in a while, so you know how much you have to work to get there. 

“Obviously, I was outside of football [during my recovery] and the country did qualify without me, which was very nice. Now to be part of it and help the country at the World Cup is very special. 

“We did well last time and now it’s up to us to see how far we go this time.”

Hannibal, meanwhile, was named on the bench for Tunisia and he entered the action late in the second half to make his World Cup debut.

It is a fantastic achievement for the 19-year-old Academy graduate, who is enjoying a promising season on loan at Championship club Birmingham City.

Congratulations to Acadey graduate Hannibal on making his World Cup debut.

AN ACTION-PACKED STALEMATE

It was a competitive and nervy match that featured a disallowed goal in each half - Tunisia’s Issam Jebali after 24 minutes and Denmark’s Andreas Skov Olsen on 56 minutes. 

Kasper Schmeichel also made a stunning save in the first half with a ‘starfish’ body shape that his iconic father Peter made famous during his illustrious playing career.

The Danes were also denied a penalty in added time, following a dramatic VAR decision. 

Group D is set to continue tonight (Tuesday) when France face Australia at 19:00 GMT.

 

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