Tunisia flexed their muscles at the 2022 World Cup with an impressive 0-0 draw with Denmark on Tuesday.

Coming into the tournament, Denmark were fancied by many as dark horses to go all the way having reached the Euro 2020 semi-finals, lost just one game in World Cup qualifying and beaten world champions France home and away in the UEFA Nations League.

However, the Danes were made to look distinctly average in their opening game of Qatar 2022 as a tepid performance left the door ajar for Tunisia to snatch a point off them.

How did Tunisia play vs Denmark?

The north Africans weren't fancied to do much this winter by many supporters coming into the competition, but that could well change in light of their spirited display at the Education City Stadium.

And they were most certainly helped along the way by the passionate contingent of Tunisian fans who made the trip to Qatar, boisterously cheering on their nation across a lively 90 minutes.

In fact, the Tunisia players themselves were well aware of how crucial a role their fans could play in avoiding defeat against Denmark and you only have to look at the opening minute to realise that was the case.

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What did Laidouni do to Eriksen?

That's because Aissa Laidouni, who walked away with the Man of the Match award, was keen to hype up his compatriots before Denmark even had the chance to get a foothold in the game.

With mere seconds on the clock, Laidouni spotted Christian Eriksen receiving the ball on the right flank and proceeding to take his time in possession, prompting the Tunisian midfielder to make a powerful run in his direction.

What happened next was the mother of all sliding tackles to send the ball pinging off the pitch with Laidouni duly crowning the moment by celebrating as though he'd just a scored in front of the Tunisia fans.

Swinging his arms and banging his chest, Laidouni even had Eriksen cracking a smile as he whipped up the Tunisia support in an epic moment that you can check for yourself down below:

Video: Laidouni's epic tackle and celebration vs Denmark

Take it from us, that really did set the tempo for not only the performance of Tunisia in general, but also Laidouni specifically and those cheering on the Eagles of Carthage from the stands.

It made things very clear from just the second minute that if Denmark were going to live up to their 'dark horse' label then they'd have to compete with the indefatigable passion of Tunisia.

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Who is Aissa Laidouni?

Laidouni has previously played in the Champions League for current club Ferencváros and absolutely stole the show in Al Rayyan with SofaScore clocking him in at three clearances, two interceptions and two tackles.

The 25-year-old had started his career in France with Angers, experiencing time out on loan at Les Herbiers and Chambly, before moving to Romania's FC Voluntari in 2018.

Laidouni currently boasts 25 caps for Tunisia having made his debut in 2021 and will be absolutely pivotal if the north African side are to make it out of the group stages in Qatar.

Tunisia's Laidouni in action vs Denmark.

AL RAYYAN, QATAR - NOVEMBER 22: Aissa Laidouni of Tunisia runs with the ball during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group D match between Denmark and Tunisia at Education City Stadium on November 22, 2022 in Al Rayyan, Qatar. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Securing a draw against Denmark is a massive step in the right direction, but clashes with Australia on Saturday November 26 and France on Wednesday November 30 will ultimately decide Laidouni and Tunisia's fate.

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