The Carthage Eagles are in a bad position in this CAN 2024 as they enter the last meeting of Group E, Wednesday, against South Africa in Korhogo. Surprised by Namibia and unable to get the better of Mali, Tunisia went through the competition anonymously, and risked being eliminated in the group stages.
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Only one point in the standings, one goal scored for two conceded and provisional fourth place in Group E: Tunisia, before facing South Africa for a decisive match on Wednesday January 24 at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly stadium in Korhogo, has few reasons for satisfaction after this difficult start to CAN 2024 in Ivory Coast.
On paper, the Eagles of Carthage had everything of an outsider to take part in the final fight: third African nation in the Fifa ranking (28th in the world) behind Morocco (13th) and Senegal (20th), Tunisia also shone with its defensive solidity during the qualifying campaign for the African Cup of Nations – only one goal conceded, the best record among the teams involved.
But the machine seized up as soon as they entered the competition: the Tunisians were surprised by an unabashed Namibia (0-1). In addition to the lack of relief in the game, the Carthage Eagles also continued a poor current series in a CAN: since 2013, the selection has not won any of its last four opening matches (2 draws, 2 defeats) .
“Argentina had also lost their first match in the World Cup, that did not prevent them from winning the trophy a few weeks later,” Jalel Kadri reacted hotly after the match. The Tunisian coach then promised that his team’s game would change: “We have disconnected from the outside world and we want to concentrate on the task at hand. (…) We have identified our mistakes and we are working hard so that They no longer reproduce.”
A “more efficient” Tunisia up against the wall?
Against Mali, Tunisia had to be satisfied with a draw (1-1). But behind this point sharing, it was the Eagles of Mali who had control of the pace of an intense meeting, poor in clear chances. The Carthage Eagles, unhappy with the refereeing during this meeting, filed an appeal with the African Football Confederation.
But the observation is there before the last group match: Tunisia is on the edge of the precipice. “We have no choice against South Africa,” summarized Jalel Kadri at the microphone of beIN Sports. “After the defeat against Namibia, we played a better match at all levels against Mali,” he assured.
Among the meager Tunisian satisfactions, we find midfielder Hamza Rafia. Author of the equalizer against Mali, he scored the 100th goal for the Carthage Eagles in the African Cup of Nations.
At 33, the “boss” Youssef Msakni (101 caps, 23 goals) also has a decisive role to play even if his aura has so far not influenced the game of his selection. The captain of Tunisia joined Rigobert Song (Cameroon) and André Ayew (Ghana) in playing an eighth CAN. This experience must be used for a match “under the sign of victory and nothing other than victory”, according to Jalel Kadri’s formula.
What if the Eagles of Carthage woke up with their backs against the wall? Tunisia could find the necessary resources at the last minute to escape from Group E, as Tunisian striker Seifeddine Jaziri promised: “The team performs better when it finds itself in difficult situations. We will take our responsibilities and will play well to please the Tunisians. (…) We must be present on a physical level and also present at all levels.”
South Africa ‘don’t want to go home early’
But watch out for South Africa. After a failed entry against Mali (2-1), Bafana Bafana razed their Namibian neighbors (4-0).
Themba Zwane, whom his Belgian coach Hugo Broos considered “too old” at 34, scored twice, and Percy Tau redeemed himself against Namibia for his missed penalty against Mali.
“Our first goal was to reach the second round and go through the group stage. (…) We know that Tunisia is a great team. (…) We will fight every second to get a good result” , explained Hugo Broos on Tuesday at a press conference. “It will be a very lively match.”
Tunisia has been warned: it will be necessary to put all its strength into the battle to hope to pocket three points against the uninhibited South Africans. “We have to start the match with great concentration. We have several experienced players, but we still have to work hard to achieve victory,” Jalel Kadri admitted on Tuesday.
Read alsoUpdate on the classification of group E
In 20 participations in a CAN, the Carthage Eagles have only been crowned once, in 2004, at home, after having been finalists in South Africa in 1996, and in 1965, again at home.
“We don’t want to go home early. We will do our best to get a good result,” warned South African defender Grant Kekana. Here are the Eagles of Carthage warned. Any result other than a victory against Bafana Bafana will mean an early return home for the Tunisians.
With AFP