World Cup

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Attendance: 78,011

World Cup | Group Stage

Jun 26, 2018 at 3pm UK

Denmark
0-0
France

France coach Didier Deschamps blames Denmark for World Cup stalemate

By Giuseppe Labellarte, Reporter

Published: June 26 2018 | 20:12

Last updated: June 27 2018 | 11:16

France coach Didier Deschamps insists that Denmark's conservative tactics are to blame for Tuesday's World Cup stalemate between the two sides.

France coach Didier Deschamps has blamed Denmark's conservative tactics for the World Cup stalemate between the two sides.

The first 0-0 draw of Russia 2018 was played out in Nizhny Novgorod on Tuesday afternoon, the result seeing Les Bleus top Group C and the Danes also reaching the last 16.

Fans ended up jeering throughout the second half of the encounter, and Deschamps - who made six changes for the match - blamed the opposition for the uninspiring spectacle.

"We have reached our goal and the most important thing for us was to top the group," the 1998 World Cup winner told reporters.

"It has not ended up a very exciting match because the Danish team were satisfied with a draw as it meant they would qualify. But all the same, while their defence was very good, we had a number of scoring opportunities.

"We didn't need to take risks in the match as this result was OK for everyone. We tried to get a win but the last 15 minutes was, shall we say, a 'neutral' kind of match. It was a choice on Denmark's part and you can understand it because they had reached their goal."

France's last-16 game will see them take on either Nigeria, Argentina or Iceland in Kazan on Saturday.