A Thirty-Minute Resistance from the Opponent, Then the National Team Unleashed
The Press — This type of match serves as a tool to reassure, to test players, and to consolidate morale, all at the same time. And the Tunisian team proved its good health, showing it's a team capable of attacking and scoring, even against a beatable opponent.
Sao Tome and Principe was not the kind of opponent that could trap us. Their exploit was to resist for 35 minutes, almost blocking all outlets with only one dangerous opportunity (Hadj Mahmoud's crossbar shot). And then, in a few minutes, they suffered their Waterloo: Chaouat scored from a precise cross from the right, opening the scoring (35'), Saad dribbled and scored a beautiful goal to double the lead (40'), and the same player scored again from a good cross from Abdi (44').
Three goals ahead, this could dispel the doubts of the first half hour. And then, in the second half, Ismail Gharbi added to the score at the 46th minute, before Ben Romdhane scored the 5th goal on a penalty at the 68th minute and the 6th goal at the 91st minute. What can we take away from this easy match? First, the national team took the match seriously, which is good.
Second, there was a good overall offensive performance, and Ismail Gharbi's ease, who is gaining more and more confidence. He had a significant impact yesterday with his movements and precise ground passes. This is good for the team's morale, ahead of more serious things in the Arab Cup and the CAN. The final match is next Monday against Namibia.
Tunisian Team: Dahmen-Valery-Abdi-Valery-Meriah-Skhiri (Mejbri)-Hadj Mahmoud (Idouni)-Gharbi-Sliti (Ben Romdhane)-Saad(Ltaief)-Chaouat (Mastouri)
