Poland coach Czeslaw Michniewicz has “yet to find any weaknesses” in the France team ahead of their last-16 clash at the World Cup on Sunday.

Les Bleus are the defending champions and overwhelming favourites to advance to the quarter-finals, but Michniewicz is hoping hard work can overcome any technical deficiencies.

He said of France: "I have been looking, but I have yet to find any weaknesses. We need to pressure them otherwise they won’t make mistakes. We have analysed them and focused on their style of play.

"They have a wonderful team, a great coach and a nice mix of experienced and young players.”

Poland have been criticised for a defensive approach in Qatar but Michniewicz believes now qualification to the knockout phase has been secured, they can release the shackles.

"The teams that haven’t defended well are already at home and watching on television," he added. "That was our strategy to get through the group phase and now we want to play differently.

"But football is about winning trophies, you cannot let the opponent score easily. Those that do aren’t here any more. We have defended well and therefore we get the chance to play France."

Key to that new, bolder strategy will be getting better service to striker Robert Lewandowski.

"We have had issues offensively," admitted Michniewicz. "We have not been accurate enough in our passing, and we haven’t created enough opportunities for Robert. We need to get the ball to him nearer the penalty box."

France’s main attacking threat will come from Kylian Mbappe. And Arkadiusz Milik, who played against the Paris Saint-Germain star during his time in Ligue 1 with Marseille, is planning special measures to keep him quiet.

“We need a scooter to catch him because he is so fast," he said. "It’s difficult to play against him because he’s one of the best players in the world, we’ll need to play collectively and have co-operation in the team because no one individual is able to stop him."

Didier Deschamps warned France must not underestimate Poland when they meet in the World Cup round of 16 on Sunday.

Les Bleus have won all five last-16 matches since the stage was introduced to the tournament back in 1986.

The holders are strong favourites to knock the Eagles out at Al Thumama Stadium this weekend in what will be the underdogs' first knockout World Cup knockout game for 36 years.

France are unbeaten in their past seven meetings with Poland, but Deschamps says there can be no complacency from his side in Doha.

"It's not a team we're used to meeting," he told FFF TV. "They have experienced players. Obviously, if there is one name to stand out, it's [Robert] Lewandowski, he's one of the best strikers in the world.

"But it's not just him, it's a team that has good organisation, a good athletic presence. We have three observers here who are following them closely, we will have all the details. Don't underestimate this team."

Deschamps rung the changes for France's final Group D match on Wednesday, which they surprisingly lost 1-0 to Tunisia.

Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, Hugo Lloris, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann were among the players who dropped to the bench for that loss.

Poland will need to find a way of containing Mbappe, the joint-leading scorer in the tournament with three goals, while Giroud is one shy of becoming his country's all-time leading goalscorer as he currently stands level with Thierry Henry on 51.

The Eagles were beaten 2-0 by Argentina in their last Group C game on Wednesday but took second place.

Poland have faced the reigning champions twice in World Cup matches, beating Brazil 1-0 in 1974 and holding Germany to a goalless draw four years later.

A quarter-final showdown with England or Senegal will be the reward for whoever comes out on top.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

France - Antoine Griezmann

Griezmann continues to deliver for France time and time again. No player has created more chances than the 11 he has produced for Les Blues in this tournament.

The Atletico Madrid forward is the only player to create at least 10 chances in both this World Cup and Russia 2018 for France. He has already surpassed his total of 10 four years ago.

Poland - Wojciech Szczesny

Goalkeeper Szczesny has played a key role for Poland in Qatar, achieving a save percentage of 90. He had kept out each of his first 16 shots on target faced in the tournament prior to Alexis Mac Allister's goal for Argentina.

Szczesny saved a Lionel Messi penalty in midweek, ensuring he has stopped a spot-kick in each of his past two World Cup games. He could be in for a busy game, given France's quality going forward.

PREDICTION

While there have been shock results aplenty in this tournament, France will not be expected to slip up when they attempt to seal a place in the last eight.

Stats Perform's AI model gives the defending champions a 74.8 per cent chance of going through, with Poland at only 8.1 per cent to produce an upset.

Hugo Lloris says personal milestones will be put to one side as he attempts to help France into the World Cup quarter-finals on Sunday.

Les Bleus meet Poland in a last-16 clash in Doha that will see Lloris equal Lilian Thuram's record of 142 caps for France.

It represents a landmark moment for the Tottenham goalkeeper, who made his international debut against Uruguay 14 years ago, but he was quick to train his focus on securing victory for his country at Al Thumama Stadium.

"It's quite something and I am very honoured to reach that figure and that number of caps, but it's a day before a last-16 game, so that [the record] is of course secondary," he said.

"The World Cup is the most important thing and I am 100 per cent focused on tomorrow's game. It's going to be a battle and we will all need to be 100 per cent focused.

"I will appreciate reaching that record once the tournament is over."

The main threat to Lloris' hopes of celebrating his achievement with a clean sheet is Poland striker Robert Lewandowski. The Barcelona star finally broke his World Cup duck in the group stage and appears to be growing into the tournament.

Lloris added: "Lewandowski is one of the best number nines in the world and has been for some time now. He's an important player for Poland but we are facing a team that defends well, that works hard, and then you have Lewandowski up front and he is clinical.

"Also, they have Wojciech Szczesny, who has played a magical tournament in goal.

"Poland deserve to be here. We have been trying to analyse their matches to see what type of game we will be facing. There's also a mental element that comes in at this stage so we will have to be ready."

The knockout phase could see matches decided by penalty shoot-outs and, although Lloris will do his homework, the 35-year-old concedes it may come down to luck.

"We have all the tools at our disposal to analyse penalty taking but there is always a bit of chance," he said. "You can study what has happened before and then the penalty taker does the opposite of what you're expecting.

"You can prepare but there's always an element of instinct that comes into play. If the penalty is well taken you have little chance of saving it."

It was a shoot-out that accounted for France at the European Championship last year, Les Bleus going down 5-4 to Switzerland after a pulsating 3-3 last-16 draw in Bucharest.

That was a painful afternoon for the world champions and coach Didier Deschamps was not keen to spend too long reminiscing.

"We don't talk about the past," he said. "I don't think it's worth it, especially a match that we've lost. Now we are facing another round of 16 game but it's not the same opponent.

"We try to approach each match in a similar way. The group phase games were all difficult and now we have the best 16 teams in the world, even if you might not think so on paper. The games are getting tougher and we are going to have to be at our best."

France have filed a complaint to FIFA over the decision to disallow Antoine Griezmann's late goal in Wednesday's shock 1-0 World Cup loss to Tunisia.

Griezmann thought he had cancelled out Wahbi Khazri's strike when he volleyed home in the eighth minute of stoppage time at Education City Stadium.

However, after the celebrations had died down, referee Michael Conger ruled out Griezmann's goal for an offside infringement.

The Atletico Madrid forward was adjudged to have been offside when firing in from Aurelien Tchouameni's pass, which took a deflection off a Tunisian defender.

However, the French Football Federation (FFF) believe the officials were wrong to disallow the goal as play had already restarted when VAR intervened, which is prohibited.

"We are writing a complaint after Antoine Griezmann's goal was, in our opinion, wrongly disallowed," said a widely released statement from the FFF on Wednesday. 

"This complaint has to be filed within 24 hours after the final whistle."

Khazri's superb strike at Education City Stadium ended reigning world champions France's nine-game unbeaten run in the competition stretching back to the 2014 quarter-finals.

However, the result ultimately meant little in the context of Group D as France still went through in top spot and Australia claimed second place with a 1-0 win over Denmark.

Should France be successful with their appeal and the scoreline is changed to 1-1, the final points tallies in Group D will change but not the positions of any of the four sides.

Wahbi Khazri conceded it was a bittersweet evening after his winning goal against France proved insufficient for Tunisia to qualify for the World Cup knockout stages.

Khazri was named man of the match after a wonderful display capped by a 58th-minute goal that handed Tunisia a 1-0 win at Education City Stadium.

Unfortunately for Jalel Kadri’s men it was not enough to secure a place in the round of 16 as Australia beat Denmark 1-0 to finish second in Group D behind Les Bleus.

Khazri, who plays his club football in France for Montpellier, said: "It's a mixed feeling. We are happy to beat a team like France, we gave a very good performance and we leave with our heads held high but it's bittersweet as it would've been perfect to win and go through.

"Ultimately, it’s our fault as we didn’t do enough in the first two games."

Roared on by a boisterous support, Tunisia dominated a France team containing nine changes from that which beat the Danes on Saturday. Khazri had already tested Steve Mandanda in the France goal before, 13 minutes into the second half, he slalomed his way through a static backline and slotted into the bottom corner.

France thought they had found an injury-time equaliser but Antoine Griezmann, introduced off the bench by Didier Deschamps alongside Kylian Mbappe, was adjudged to have been offside before volleying past Aymen Dahmen.

Khazri had no excuses and blamed Tunisia’s display in their 1-0 defeat to Australia at the weekend as the reason why they are heading home.

"When I came off [in the 59th minute] I saw the score in the other game," he added. "We were hoping for a goal from Denmark but that’s what happens when you depend on others in football, and in life in general.

"I am sure the Tunisia fans are proud of us, it's a shame we cannot celebrate properly."

Tunisia coach Jalel Kadri echoed Khazri’s sentiments but backtracked on an earlier claim that he would resign if his side did not progress.

"I don't know why you insist that I resign," he said. "We have been able to continue our work and the contract I have in Tunisia is based on objectives. The objectives were not fulfilled but we still have to do the analysis, and it will be up to the Tunisian Federation to decide if I have achieved the targets or not.

"We beat the defending champions and did our best. It wasn't easy to collect four points. We played well for five and a half halves with only one – against Australia – not being good enough."

Deschamps defended his decision to make so many changes with his second-string side producing a disjointed display.

He said: "We came up against a strong squad and were timid, late into the one on ones and made technical errors. But when we brought on the more experienced players, we had a couple of goalscoring opportunities and thought we'd equalised at the end of the game.

"The first objective was to secure a place in the round of 16. We took this game into consideration but [our approach] will pay off in a few days' time.

"We need all 24 players to be available to play on Sunday. We needed to juggle the squad.

"Say if we'd won, it wouldn't have changed the fact we play in four days' time and we topped the group."

Deschamps was mystified by the decision to disallow Griezmann's goal, with VAR intervening after New Zealand referee Matthew Conger had already appeared to have blown the final whistle.

"I need to look at the rules maybe but why did the referee blow the final whistle and then look at VAR?" he added. "I'm not sure this is allowed."

France will play the team that finishes second in Group C on Sunday – one of Poland, Argentina, Saudi Arabia or Mexico.

Tunisia enjoyed a famous 1-0 win over France but it was not enough for them to advance to the knockout stages of the World Cup.

Needing a win and Denmark to avoid defeat to Australia to stand any chance, Jalel Kadri's men fulfilled their end of the bargain with a stirring performance that was rewarded by Wahbi Khazri's superb second-half strike.

But Australia's 1-0 win over Denmark meant it was the Socceroos that accompanied France in qualifying from Group D.

France were already guaranteed a place in the last 16 and that was reflected in Didier Deschamps' starting XI, Les Bleus' boss making nine changes from the team that beat the Danes on Saturday.

France looked like a team thrown together for the most part, although Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann were sent on to rescue the situation shortly after the defending champions fell behind. Griezmann almost came up trumps but saw his stoppage-time strike ruled out for offside.

Khazri was behind most of Tunisia’s best moments and he almost helped conjure up the opener after eight minutes. His vicious, inswinging free-kick eluded the France defence and was turned in by Nader Ghandri only for his effort to be ruled out by an offside flag.

Khazri came close himself 10 minutes before the break, forcing goalkeeper Steve Mandanda to palm his long-range shot to safety.

In between, Randal Kolo Muani played in Kingsley Coman but his first touch was poor, leading him to slice his shot wide.

Khazri's next significant involvement resulted in the opening goal. The Montpellier man, who has spent the bulk of his career playing in France, picked the ball up 40 yards from goal and slalomed his way through the France defence before slotting past Mandanda.

Deschamps turned to his big guns but they could not find a way past a resolute Tunisia defence, although they came close three times - Mbappe forcing a brilliant save from Aymen Dahmen following a wonderful piece of skill before Kolo Muani shot narrowly wide. Then, in injury time, Griezmann fired in only for VAR to intervene with the goal disallowed for offside.

Didier Deschamps may opt to rest some of his key players for Wednesday's clash against Tunisia with France already through to the knockout stages of the World Cup.

Wins against Australia and Denmark mean the defending champions are almost guaranteed to finish top of Group D and, with such a packed schedule, Deschamps has the luxury of being able to leave out the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann.

Les Bleus had Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante, Karim Benzema and Christopher Nkunku ruled out before the tournament started while first-choice left-back Lucas Hernandez lasted just 13 minutes of their opening game against the Socceroos before sustaining a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, and Deschamps seems unlikely to risk more of his star men.

Hernandez has been replaced by his brother Theo, although he too may be left out against Tunisia given the lack of depth on the left side of defence.

That could mean Jules Kounde makes the move across from right-back, something the Barcelona defender would be willing to do.

Kounde said: "It's another chance to play in the France team. I've always tried to do my best and play with a lot of desire. 

"Left-back would be another position. I think I've played it once, we'll see what the coach decides."

Kounde got the nod at right-back against Denmark in place of Benjamin Pavard, who started France's opener against Australia.

"It's healthy competition," Kounde said of his battle with the Bayern Munich man. "We try to bring the maximum when we play. I have to bring more offensively and improve technically."

Tunisia have taken one point from their two games and have yet to score. The 1-0 defeat to Australia on Saturday was a major blow to their hopes of advancing, and they must beat France to stand any chance.

Coach Jalel Kadri is also considering changes in a bid to improve their creativity.

He said: "We lost a crucial match, but we will give everything we have in the last game.

"We don't change the team for the sake of changing, but we make adjustments to adapt to the way the rival teams play. We will analyse our performance and fix our mistakes."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tunisia - Youssef Msakni

Although Tunisia were largely disappointing against the Socceroos, Msakni had a fine game. The Al Arabi attacker had six shots against Australia, the most ever by a Tunisia player in a single World Cup match. 

If Tunisia are to cause a stunning upset, his partnership with Issam Jebali will be key.

France - Ousmane Dembele

Mbappe and Giroud may have stolen the headlines but Dembele has been a revelation down the right side of France's attack.

Only four players have created more chances over the first two matchdays while only Argentina's Angel Di Maria has made more successful dribbles.

PREDICTION

France are understandably overwhelming favourites to make it three wins from three Group D games. Stats Perform's AI model rates them a 62 per cent chance to take the three points with Tunisia's hopes rated at just 14.5 per cent. A draw is given a 23.5 per cent chance.

France boss Didier Deschamps dismissed suggestions striker Kylian Mbappe has an ego, and denied the Paris Saint-Germain star would influence his team selection for Wednesday's game against Tunisia.

Les Bleus have already secured their place in the knockout stage following wins over Australia and Denmark, meaning Deschamps is set to make several changes to his side for the Group D match at Education City Stadium.

Deschamps was not willing to go into detail on his starting XI but swatted aside a question implying Mbappe's ego would mean he'd demand to start.

"His fitness is fine so we don't need to manage that, so you are saying we have to manage his ego?" he said.

"What do you know about that? I know but you don't. Kylian doesn't have a big ego, that's not true.

"He's a key player but he's a team player. Of course, he's a star but he's not 18 years old anymore, he's more experienced.

"He wants to play tomorrow but not all of them can start the match, that's normal.

"You can imagine lots of things but I have a lot of factors to take into account. And my information is first hand, straight from the horse's mouth."

Tunisia must beat France and hope Denmark avoid defeat by Australia to be in contention to qualify, and Deschamps knows he has to balance his squad's needs with the integrity of the competition.

He added: "We are going through so we don't need to go all out for the victory, and it looks like we are going to win the group.

"But this is a World Cup game against an opponent that needs a result go through, and Australia and Denmark are also playing for their qualification. We will try to get the best result possible.

"I am going to have to manage the squad, I have a lot of things to take into account. I have some more time to make my decision - you will find out tomorrow - but yes, there will be changes, I just can't tell you how many."

There were reports on Monday that Deschamps' injury-hit squad may be boosted by the return of striker Karim Benzema, who sustained a recurrence of a thigh problem on the eve of the tournament, but has remained on France's squad list.

Benzema has left Qatar to receive treatment but Les Bleus' boss was baffled by talk of an imminent comeback for the Ballon d'Or winner.

"I am not sure, that's not something I am thinking about," he said. "Who is saying that?

"I talked to Karim after he left the squad but you know the situation, you know how long it will take him to recover. It is up to you if you want to speculate and imagine scenarios, that's not what I am focusing on at the moment."

Raphael Varane says France must avoid comparing their current squad to the team that won the 2018 World Cup, after reaching the knockout stage at Qatar 2022.

Les Bleus are looking to defend the title they won in Russia, and are into the last 16 after opening victories against Australia and Denmark in Group D.

Varane, who returned from an injury sustained on club duty with Manchester United to feature in his country's second game, was a member of Didier Deschamps' side that beat Croatia 4-2 in the final in Moscow four years ago.

But the centre-back says the current crop must dodge the pitfalls of measuring their current achievements against those set before, despite the presence of several World Cup-winning players.

"You have to avoid making too many comparisons," he stated. "This is another moment, and you have to be present.

"Each major tournament has its history, with different players and contexts. Four years in football is an eternity.

"We can draw inspiration from before, from the state of mind that we had then, but we must not try to copy."

France – who play Tunisia in their final group game on Wednesday – will be without World Cup winner Lucas Hernandez for the rest of the tournament after he suffered a knee injury in their opening clash with Australia.

His brother Theo has deputised at left-back since, replacing Hernandez in the first half against Australia and continuing in the position against Denmark.

Reflecting on his sibling's injury, Theo Hernandez claimed his brother has requested the World Cup be brought back for him, saying: "Since he left [the squad], I have spoken with him every day.

"He tells me that we have to win, to bring him back the World Cup. We will have to work hard to continue like this though."

Aurelien Tchouameni has rubbished suggestions the France squad is a more harmonious place without Karim Benzema after reaching the World Cup knockout rounds.

Didier Deschamps' side are into the last 16 at Qatar 2022 after victory over Denmark in Group D, with Kylian Mbappe's double firing Les Bleus to a 2-1 win on Saturday.

The attacker has delivered for his side so far in the absence of Benzema, with the Ballon d'Or winner ruled out on the eve of the tournament with a thigh injury.

Some reports have suggested there has been a better atmosphere in the absence of the Real Madrid star, who was not involved at Russia 2018, but Tchouameni has now sought to dispel those rumours.

"I want to come back to something we saw concerning the departure of Karim," Tchouameni stated about his club and international team-mate.

"[Somewhere said] we have felt better since he was no longer here.

"It's totally false. Even when he was there, it was already going well. We have been hurt by these reports.

"What I can tell you is that since we arrived in Qatar, things have been going really well."

With two games under his belt, Tchouameni is fast becoming an integral member for Deschamps in his side's title defence, with France boosted too by the return of defender Raphael Varane.

The Manchester United centre-back has been nursing a problem since late October, but made his return to action with a start against Denmark.

Reflecting on his injury, Varane added: "I've come a long way. It's been a lot of work, a lot of effort to come back.

"I feel good. It's always special to play at this exceptional event. I'll take advantage of every moment. We will do everything to go as far as possible."

France will conclude their Group D campaign against Tunisia on November 30, and will discover their last-16 opponents later that day when Group C concludes.

Denmark attacker Jesper Lindstrom believes France's "crazy team" should reach the final of the World Cup, at the very least.

Kylian Mbappe scored twice on Saturday as the World Cup holders became the first team to seal a place in the round of 16 in Qatar with a 2-1 win over the Danes. It is the first time the reigning champions have reached the knockout stage since Brazil in 2006.

Andreas Christensen cancelled out Mbappe's opener at Stadium 974, but the Paris Saint-Germain forward bundled home from Antoine Griezmann's cross to claim the points in Group D.

Mbappe was the star performer in Doha, but Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele, Aurelien Tchouameni, Adrien Rabiot and Olivier Giroud were all excellent too.

With such a star-studded squad, Eintracht Frankfurt forward Lindstrom sees no reason why France should not reach the tournament's showpiece match on December 18.

"Look at the team, I think they should at least go to the final," Lindstrom said.

"They have game-winners. Mbappe, Dembele, Griezmann, Tchouameni... even on the bench, they have a crazy team.

"I think the game is always open when you play against Dembele and Mbappe, it's always going to be difficult with their speed."

Despite failing to score, France dominated the first half, having 13 shots and accumulating 0.99 expected goals (xG) to Denmark's 0.05, with Kasper Schmeichel pulling off two fine saves.

Having netted in the final in Russia four years ago, and in the 4-1 win over Australia on Tuesday, Mbappe is just the second player to score in three successive World Cup games for France since Just Fontaine, who scored in six consecutive appearances at the 1958 tournament.

Mbappe is now onto 31 goals for Les Bleus, netting 14 times in his last 12 games.

"He's one of them - top quality," Lindstrom replied when asked if Mbappe was the best player he had faced.

"He scored two goals, so we can't say we defended him well, but our wing-back was close to him. But you see he has the qualities to score when he gets the chances."

Rasmus Kristensen was the defender tasked with marking Mbappe, and the Leeds United right-back reflected: "Difficult. A good player, a really, really good player.

"For me maybe the best in the world. It's a privilege playing against the best. I was just trying to do my best."

Kylian Mbappe plays football "like a steam train" and showed his quiet leadership qualities with the double that fired France into the World Cup knockout rounds, says boss Didier Deschamps.

Les Bleus secured a 2-1 victory over Denmark thanks to a brace from the forward, to seal their progress from Group D after an opening win against Australia.

Having shot to stardom four years ago as the poster boy for France's World Cup victory at Russia 2018, Mbappe has arrived at Qatar 2022 with greater weight on his shoulders after an injury to Karim Benzema.

But Deschamps feels there is no extra heat upon him, who continues to be an integral part of the national set-up regardless of who his team-mates are with his attacking dominance.

"He’s a leader," he stated. "I don’t think leadership has one face. Kylian doesn't speak, he's not very talkative. However, he's like a steam train on the pitch. He's the one that gets the crowd going.

"Kylian's always got the same responsibility. He knows the French team need him, and we need him to be at his best. The proof is in the pudding from the first two games."

With Benzema's absence, Mbappe is just one of five players with a half-century of caps under their belt for the national team in Qatar, alongside Hugo Lloris, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and Raphael Varane.

It marks a squad peppered with youthful faces and limited top-level experienced for Les Bleus, but Deschamps does not feel that is a hindrance, pointing to their sparkling club reputations.

"I have a great pool of players," he added. "I’m very lucky to be able to fall back on this pool of players.

"Most of them don’t have 50 caps, but they play in the best European clubs, I have a high-quality squad with an excellent mindset."

Antoine Griezmann says he is proud to match Zinedine Zidane for assists with France, but credited their World Cup victory over Denmark as a team performance.

Kylian Mbappe's double saw the defending champions book their place in the knockout rounds with a 2-1 win, cementing top spot in Group D with a game in hand.

Griezmann supplied the crucial delivery for the forward's winner, cancelling out Andreas Christensen's earlier equaliser, to move him to 26 assists overall for his country.

That draws him level with national legend and fellow World Cup winner Zidane, but while Griezmann was delighted to match the achievement, he was quick to pay tribute to Didier Deschamps' squad as a whole.

"I am very proud of that," he told TF1. "But I insist [it is] the work of the team, [rather than] my work offensively or defensively.

"There are the stats, [if] we only look at that. But everyone made an exceptional effort tonight. It was very important to win and qualify."

Griezmann's feat draws him level with Zidane, who helped France to World Cup success on home soil in 1998.

For France, victory marked a spot of revenge too after back-to-back losses against Kasper Hjulmand's side in the Nations League, and Griezmann acknowledged their win was a hard-fought one.

"We knew it was going to be a complicated match," he added. "We lost twice in the Nations League. We did a lot of work together. Those who returned worked well too. It's a very good victory."

France will wrap up their Group D campaign against Tunisia on November 30, where they will look to ensure they claim top spot and an arguably more favourable draw for the knockout stages.

Kylian Mbappe poached a double as France became the first side to clinch a place in the last-16 stage at the Qatar World Cup with a 2-1 win over Denmark.

It took France until just past the hour mark to make a breakthrough, as Mbappe finished off an electrifying break.

Denmark were level seven minutes later when Andreas Christensen planted a close-range header past Hugo Lloris, and substitute Martin Braithwaite later clipped the post.

However, Mbappe was decisive when he bundled in Antoine Griezmann's cross from the right in the 86th minute.

Didier Deschamps recalled Raphael Varane to his starting XI for France's World Cup clash with Denmark.

Varane, who has not played since he was forced off with an injury in Manchester United's Premier League game with Chelsea on October 22, was one of three changes made to the France team for Saturday's game in Doha.

Deschamps confirmed on Friday that Varane had been fit to feature in the opening game, and had trained without any issues prior to France's second match of the tournament.  The former Real Madrid centre-back replaced Ibrahima Konate in France's XI.

Les Bleus head into the match at Stadium 974 knowing that victory would ensure their progression to the last 16.

The holders thrashed Australia 4-1 in their opening Group D game, though suffered another injury blow in that match, with Lucas Hernandez sustaining a serious knee injury.

Hernandez was replaced by his brother, Theo, and the latter started at left-back against the Danes, with Barcelona defender Jules Kounde replacing Bayern Munich's Benjamin Pavard at right-back.

Olivier Giroud will become France's all-time leading goalscorer the next time he finds the net, and the Milan forward was given the nod up top, leading a line that also included Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann.

Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand made four changes.

Thomas Delaney was injured in the draw with Tunisia on Tuesday and makes way for Mikkel Damsgaard, while Victor Nelsson replaced Simon Kjaer in the defence and Jesper Lindstrom came in for Andreas Skov Olsen.

Andreas Cornelius missed a fantastic chance to seal the points for Denmark against Tunisia, hitting the post from a yard out, but he was handed a start in place of Kasper Dolberg.