What happened in Group D

The World Cup continues. As the final round of Matchday 3 progresses, we can look back and reflect upon results and teams that have progressed to the latter stages of the competition. We overview the first group and look at what happened in Group D.

Looking at what happened in Group D can help World Cup Fantasy managers prepare for next round ahead. Overviewing the results, player performances and key fantasy assets can aid in important factors like transfers, captaincy and chip strategy.

Group D

We can see from the table below that France and Australia have progressed to the next stage of the World Cup. We can also see that Tunisia and Denmark have failed to progress.

France

France were firm favourites to win their group and they didn’t disappoint. Their first match of the tournament came against Australia. Australia scored first but France responded well. The French goals came from midfielder Adrien Rabiot, forwards Olivier Giroud (two) and Kylian Mbappe. Creating the assists were defender Theo Hernandez, Adrien Rabiot, forward Ousmane Dembele, and Kylian Mbappe. France won the match 4-1.

France faced a tough Denmark in Matchday 2. Although they struggled to break them down, France broke the deadlock. Kylian Mbappe scored the first goal which was assisted by Theo Hernandez. After conceding, France were level. However, Kylian Mbappe continued his form with the winning goal which was created by Antoine Griezmann (£8.5m). France won 2-1, taking them to six points.

France had what they thought would be an easy match against Tunisia in Matchday 3. The French made big changes to their starting line-up which cost them the match. France lost 1-0 but still won the group.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that France have a strong team, especially when their playing their best 11. However, Kylian Mbappe made a significant impact towards their success and proved, even against tougher opposition, can still score.

Theo Hernandez was another standout player. France failed to keep any clean sheets which is a concern, but Hernandez had bags of creativity and finished the group stage with two assists.

Australia

Australia made a fantastic start against France after their early goal. Craig Goodwin (£4.5m) scored the goal which was created by fellow striker Mathew Leckie (£4.5m). Unfortunately, Australia could not hold their lead and ended up crumbling to a 4-1 defeat against France in Matchday 1.

Going into Matchday 2, Australia knew they had to get a result against Tunisia. Australia were rewarded when striker Mitch Duke (£4.5m) scored to give them the lead. Australia defended well and as a result saw the game out with a 1-0 victory.

Matchday 3 arrived, and Denmark lay ahead for Australia. Australia defended fantastically and managed to catch the Danes on the break. Mathew Leckie scored which was created by midfielder Riley McGree (£4.5m). They held onto their lead which meant they progressed to the next round whilst also finishing on the same points as France.

Conclusion

Australia fought every game like it was their last. Their passion and teamwork resulted in progression. Although they are through, it feels like they are lacking in World Cup Fantasy options. For that reason, it could be wise to avoid investing in their players going forward.

Tunisia

Tunisia had to face Denmark in Matchday 1. They did have several good opportunities to score but evidently lacked a goal scorer. Both sides failed to convert their chances which led to a 0-0 draw but Tunisia picked up their first point.

Tunisa played against Australia in Matchday 2, and one thing was still clear, Tunisia still needed a goal scorer. The African side were dominant throughout the game in every sense of the word, but it was Australia who snuck a 1-0 win.

France lay ahead for Tunisia in Matchday 3 and only a win was enough to give them the slightest chance of progressing. Luckily, France had heavily rotated their team giving the Africans a fantastic opportunity to take advantage and they did. Tunisia beat France 1-0. The goal scorer was midfielder Wahbi Khazri (£4.5m) and created by midfielder Aissa Laidouni (£4.5m). The win wasn’t enough due to results in other games.

Conclusion

Tunisia were dominant in their games but the lack of a goal scorer was a huge factor in their failure to progress. Many fans could have questioned the exclusion of Wahbi Khazri for most the matches they played, because when he did play, he proved he still had the quality.

Denmark

One of the biggest shocks in the group stages was that not only did Denmark fail to progress, but they also finished at the bottom of their group. The Danes lack of bite saw a very poor 0-0 stalemate against Tunisia in Matchday 1.

Denmark did show some fight in Matchday 2 against France, but the French had Kylian Mbappe at their disposal. Their goal came from defenders Andreas Christensen (£5m) and Joachim Anderson (£5m) which highlighted their struggle for goals in their frontline.

The Danes came into Matchday 3 knowing they had to win. Unfortunately, Demark could not handle the pressure and their key players failed to impress. Denmark lost their final match 1-0, meaning they would not progress to the next stage of the World Cup.

Conclusion

Denmark were really poor in their group stages and their lack of goals was their biggest issue. World Cup Fantasy assets like Joakim Maehle (£4.5m) and Andreas Skov Olsen (£6m) were disappointing for both team and fantasy managers.