Tunisia Soars Over Liberia, Solidifying Lead in Group H
The "Eagles of Carthage" have strengthened their position as leaders of Group H, widening the gap with their closest pursuer.
Without wasting any time, the Tunisian national team dove straight into the action with a completely offense-oriented game. An early high press allowed them to score quickly: taking advantage of a minor mistake by the Liberian defense, a pass back, anticipated by Mark Pabai to Natus Jamel Swen, Hazem Mastouri cut off the ball's trajectory and lobbed the Liberian goalkeeper (5'). It was the perfect start to the match. However, with this early lead, we expected the Tunisian internationals to consolidate their advantage before halftime. Meanwhile, Hazem Mastouri, served by Yan Valery, nearly doubled the score with a header, but the Liberian goalkeeper made a beautiful save, deflecting the ball into a corner (23'). Yan Valery, with his regular runs, also put pressure on the opposing defense from the right flank.
Elias Achouri, very active on the left flank, constantly pressing the defense, saw his powerful shot repelled (29'). After this strong start, there was a moment of weakness, which encouraged the Liberians to come out of their reserve. In the 32nd minute, a powerful Liberian shot was blocked by the Tunisian defense. A minute later, Aymen Dahmen intervened to stop another powerful shot (33'). The Tunisian players regained control after these two opposing attempts but failed to consolidate their lead at halftime.
Determination Pays Off
Returning from the locker room, the Tunisian internationals resumed the debate with the same desire to at least double their lead, aiming to put the game out of reach. However, Ben Romdhane, served on a silver platter and alone in front of the goal, shot widely over the crossbar (47'). Ismael Gharbi, who entered the game at the 53rd minute and made his first appearance in national team colors, nearly deceived the Liberian goalkeeper with a powerful and framed shot (54'). Much more enterprising than their opponent, the "Eagles of Carthage" eventually got their reward: a precise cross from the right by Hannibal Mejbri, and Ferjani Sassi jumped higher than everyone, heading the ball directly into the net of a helpless Tommy Songo (66').
And it wasn't over yet. In added time, Elias Saad sealed the deal by tripling the lead with a magnificent direct free kick (90'+4'). The Tunisian national team thus earned a nice victory, allowing them to solidify their position as leaders of Group H. As a result, Tunisia widened the gap with Liberia, a direct pursuer now trailing by 9 points.
Tunisia's Lineup:
Dahmen, Ben Ouanes, Talbi, Bronn, Valery, Sassi, Ben Romdhane (Sliti 53'), Mejbri (Hadj Mahmoud 89'), Achouri (Saad 82'), Layouni (Gharbi 53'), and Mastouri (Chaouat 82').
