Tunisia has participated six times in the FIFA World Cup, the biggest men's football event in the world, in 1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018 and 2022. Tunisia has never been able to advance past the group stage on any of these occasions; they have played eighteen games, winning three, with five draws and ten defeats. The selection played its first qualifying match for a World Cup on 30 October 1960 against Morocco at the Stade d'Honneur, Casablanca.
Wahbi Khazri is the Tunisian player who has scored the most goals in the competition with three: two in 2018 and one in the 2022 edition. Riadh Bouazizi and Kaies Ghodhbane are the two Tunisian players with the most matches played (eight games each in 1998, 2002 and 2006).
In the first game, Mexico managed to advance through a penalty in the first half to end the break 1–0 for the Mexico. And before the start of the second half, Tunisian coach Chetali threw the Tunisian flag in front of the players and left the changing room. Tunisia managed to return to the game after Ali Kaabi scored the equalizer for Tunisia to enter history as the first Tunisian player to score a World Cup goal in the 55th minute before adding two goals to finish the game 3–1.[59]
In the second match, they made a good performance against Poland before the team lost 1–0,[60] but in the last game it was just around the corner to win the defending champion West Germany before the game ended 0–0. This performance has been admired by most analysts who did not expect it, and that has contributed to increasing the number of African teams qualified for the World Cup to become two. The team was received at Tunis–Carthage International Airport by Tunisians, provided by Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba, telling the players that they had accomplished the task of 50 ambassadors, because they contributed to the known of Tunisia internationally.
The 2006 World Cup begins with a first match on 14 June against Saudi Arabia, in which Roger Lemerre uses the 4–4–2 formation. The injury to Francileudo Santos, Tunisia's strongest striker ahead of the tournament, is of particular interest, but he is still called up to the squad.[61] The other training interest is David Jemmali. In the opening match, with right defender Hatem Trabelsi playing in that position for years, Jemmali has a prime spot.[62] Topping the list are Yassine Chikhaoui and Ziad Jaziri, who is playing for the second time in the World Cup.[63] Before the match, Lemerre's Tunisia seemed to be performing better than Saudi Arabia, but it turns out that is not the case.[64] While Tunisia launched with Ziad Jaziri's goal, Saudi Arabia managed to come back into the match and score two goals. In the last moments of the match, Tunisia managed to end the match with a draw 2–2 and a goal from Radhi Jaïdi; Lemerre said he was disappointed with the result.[65]
In the second match, Tunisia faces Spain, the team led by Raúl, Iker Casillas, Carles Puyol and Sergio Ramos that beat Ukraine in the first round. Lemerre relies on the typical 4–5–1 defense system, with Jaziri up front.[66] Exceptionally, Jemmali, who played as a left defender in the opening match, is replaced by his teammate Anis Ayari.[67] Tunisia started the match strongly and scored the first goal thanks to Jawhar Mnari.[68] However, Spain made offensive changes in the second half and Raúl and his teammates counter-attacked goalkeeper Ali Boumnijel, through whom they got the equalizer five minutes later, with Fernando Torres scoring the second goal for Spain, who won the match with a penalty in the 90th minute with a score of 3–1.[69]
Lemerre is not satisfied with the result although he considers his tactics good. However, due to an error, Spain gets the equalizer. Lemerre also emphasizes that Tunisia must win the final match against Ukraine if they want to continue the competition.[70] Against this, Lemerre returns to the 4–4–2 formation and, this time, its best offensive pair is made up of Jaziri and Hamed Namouchi.[71] The match headed for a goalless draw, but the nature of the match changed when Jaziri received a second booking in the match and was sent off with a red card. To his great surprise, Lemerre did not bring up anyone as an attacker but played for more than half an hour without an attacker. Additionally, the referee announces a presumed penalty, scored by Andriy Shevchenko.[72] Lemerre only responded after 79 minutes, when he brought on Santos and Chaouki Ben Saada. Santos has two chances in the match but fails to score. The match ultimately ended 1–0, with Tunisia once again eliminated from the group stage.[73] After the match, Lemerre declared that he shared the disappointment with the Tunisian supporters. All that remained was for them to focus on the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, but the Tunisian media and supporters criticized Lemerre's performance during the tournament as being too cautious and particularly defensive.[74] At this time, Hatem Trabelsi announced his retirement from international football after eight years.
In the fierst match, England scored in the 11th minute when Mouez Hassen stopped a John Stones' header from a corner from the left, but could not save a Harry Kane follow-up from close range. Hassen was substituted four minutes later for Farouk Ben Mustapha due to an injury earlier in the game, after he had a collision with Jesse Lingard. Lingard then mishit a volley from Ashley Young's cross to the far post.[75] After 10 minutes, Ferjani Sassi equalised from the penalty spot after Kyle Walker was penalised for an elbow on Fakhreddine Ben Youssef.[76] Kane had an appeal for a penalty waved away within five minutes of the restart as he was seemingly impeded by a pair of Tunisia players at a corner.[77] In the additional time, Harry Maguire flicked a Kieran Trippier corner from the right into the path of Kane, who headed it inside the goal after being left free at the back post.[75][78] England scored more than once for the first time in 10 World Cup matches, since a 2–2 draw against Sweden in 2006. Kane became the first England player to score a brace in a World Cup match since Gary Lineker against Cameroon in 1990.[76]
Against Belgium, Just 6 minutes into the game, Syam Ben Youssef's late challenge on Eden Hazard was deemed, with the use of VAR, to have been just inside the area and he stepped up to score the penalty into the bottom-left corner. Ten minutes later, Dries Mertens won possession just inside the Tunisia half before driving forward and passing the ball to Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku then shot a low strike across Farouk Ben Mustapha into the bottom-right corner. Wahbi Khazri's free-kick from the left was met by Dylan Bronn, who flashed a header past Thibaut Courtois. Thomas Meunier found Lukaku inside the area, which he clipped over the onrushing Mustapha. Toby Alderweireld's long pass from defence was taken on the chest by Hazard, who then rounded Mustapha to stroke into an empty net. Michy Batshuayi met Youri Tielemans' cross at the back post with a controlled half-volley to score Belgium's 5th. Khazri scored deep into stoppage time after a swivel in the box.[79][80] Lukaku became the first player since Diego Maradona to score back-to-back braces in consecutive world cup games.[81] Hazard's penalty was Belgium's second quickest goal in a World Cup match (5:59), behind only Léopold Anoul's goal against England in 1954, in the fifth minute.[82] For Tunisia, it has registered as their worst defeat ever in their World Cup history.
For the last game, Panama took the lead in the 33rd minute, after a José Rodríguez shot from outside the penalty area took a deflection off Yassine Meriah and nestle in the back of the net. In the 51st minute, Naïm Sliti found Wahbi Khazri down the right and the latter's low cross was converted by Fakhreddine Ben Youssef just six yards out. At the 66 minute mark, Khazri finished off a cross from the left by Oussama Haddadi from close range at the back post.[83][84] Tunisia won a World Cup match after 40 years, since their 3–1 victory over Mexico in 1978. Panama became the first nation since Serbia & Montenegro and Togo in 2006 to lose each of their first three World Cup games. Panama's goal means this is the first World Cup tournament in which every side has scored at least two goals in the competition. Meriah's own goal was the 50th in World Cup history.[85]
In the first match in Group D, Mohamed Dräger threatens the opponent's goal, then Issam Jebali dominates Kasper Schmeichel, but the situation is prevented by an offside. In the 43rd minute, Jebali comes face to face with Schmeichel after hitting the goal and tries to beat the goalkeeper with a through shot, but he uses his thumbs and fends off the finish.[89]Christian Eriksen then makes an attempt beyond the goal line, but Aymen Dahmen is illustrated with a save.[90] From the corner that follows, Andreas Cornelius wastes an opportunity by finding himself alone at the far post, but his header only seals the structure of the goals. Due to the subsequent dominance over the ball, despite their best efforts, the Danes could not find a solution against the Tunisia defence, and the match ended in a goalless draw.[91] Thanks to his performance in this match, Aïssa Laïdouni receives the man of the match award.[92]
Tunisia v Australia.
In the second match, the team are led to a 1–0 loss against Australia,[93] with the technical framework and the players receiving criticism due to the weakness of the midfield and the attack,[94] which reduces the chances of Tunisia to qualify for the round of 16. In the final game against world champions France, Wahbi Khazri put Tunisia ahead in the 58th minute with a low shot to the bottom right corner.[95] At this stage, Tunisia is in a position to qualify in the group. However, two minutes later, Australia took the lead against Denmark in the other match, which sent Tunisia out of the knockout stage.[96] Captain Khazri wins the Man of the Match award.[97] This is Tunisia's first victory against a European team in the World Cup, and the team have collected the most points (four points) in the group stage since their first appearance in 1978 FIFA World Cup (three points). In this context, Wahbi Khazri is retiring from international retirement,[98] after 74 games in which he scored 25 goals.
Threatening to be excluded from the 2022 World Cup
At the end of October 2022, an internal dispute concerning the Minister of Youth and Sports, Kamel Deguiche, and the president of the federation, Wadie Jary, threatens Tunisia's participation in the World Cup.[102] Indeed, the two men are known to hate each other and the first wishes to dissolve the federation to separate from the second.[103]FIFA systematically penalizes cases of interference in the world of football, it therefore warns the Tunisian federation: by means of a letter, it warns that it reserves the right to exclude Tunisia from the competition in case of taking power over the federation by Deguiche.[104]
Allegations of interference in the 2022 World Cup squad
Dozens of news websites in Tunisia reported that coach Jalel Kadri was subjected to pressure during the formation of the Tunisian team's squad for the 2022 World Cup, according to the player Saad Bguir, who was excluded from the final list and who was on the initial list.[105] He also announced his international retirement through a phone call on the TV program Stade Plus on Carthage Plus, until the president of the Tunisian Football Federation, Wadie Jary, left his position.[106] It started when Bilel Ifa was excluded from the list a day before the official announcement, and was later brought back after fans outraged on social media. On 14 November 2022, hundreds of fans greeted the team bus in Doha upon their arrival, but the president of the Federation was insulted in the worst terms.
Also, the selection of four goalkeepers was under pressure from the Tunisian Football Federation to meet the wishes of certain teams on the financial level, FIFA, since the 2010 FIFA World Cup, paying a subsidy to each. team, of which at least one player has been called up in each edition of the competition. On 28 November 2022, former national team player Issam Jemâa said on Radio IFM,[107] that TFF officials had sacrificed one of the players to call four goalkeepers into the final list, as the choice was on Bilel Ifa, who returned to the team after the anger of the fans, Taha Yassine Khenissi, who was medically examined for two hours, so they could find him injured or Seifeddine Jaziri, who was called up due to financial transactions between him and the brother of the president of the TFF, Wajih Jary. In the final, Saad Bguir was abandoned.[108]
1 Considered a successor team by FIFA, or have competed under another name(s). 2 Have been member of multiple confederations. 3 Team and national federation no longer exist.
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