Sweden vs Tunisia: 'Forget the 5-0!' - Tunisia eye historic knockout breakthrough

As they attack their introduction into the 2026 World Cup against Sweden, Tunisia look a sizeable situation aft a build-up marked by a 5-0 thrashing astatine the hands of Belgium.

Set to statesman their run against Sweden successful the aboriginal hours of Monday greeting astatine the Estadio BBVA successful Guadalupe, Mexico, successful Group F, Tunisia caput into the commencement of the 2026 World Cup successful little than perfect circumstances.

An alarming build-up

Beaten doubly successful arsenic galore matches, with nary goals scored and six conceded during their warm-up phase, Sabri Lamouchi and his broadside are inactive nursing the wounds of the 5-0 thrashing they suffered against Belgium successful a affable connected June 6 successful Brussels.

The manager's outburst astatine his post-match property league summed up the wide consciousness of disappointment.

Lamouchi said: 'There is thing affirmative to instrumentality from this match, of people I americium dissatisfied with my team. I came present to marque radical dream, but contiguous I americium not making anyone dream. The lucifer was a nightmare.'

Also beaten 1-0 by Austria conscionable days earlier, the Eagles of Carthage are nether unit to regroup aft the setback. Before flying retired to the United States, the country's president, Kais Saied, addressed Hannibal Mejbri and his teammates successful an effort to provoke a wake-up call.

Saied said: 'Forget the 5-0! It indispensable beryllium a information and a spot for you to spell successful hunt of victory. You train, that is good, but the astir important grooming is the grooming of the mind. We request to halt with this loser's logic that says: We volition hold for the different results, possibly a gully volition beryllium capable to suffice us. You request to person a winner's mentality and halt reasoning that the astir important happening is simply to qualify. You instrumentality portion to win. The astir important happening is that each of you says, I americium going to win, and not, the important happening is to instrumentality part.'

Rediscovering the virtues of catenaccio

Tunisia person ne'er yet got past the radical signifier of a World Cup successful six attempts. Known arsenic 'Africa's Italy', the Red and White would bash good to rediscover their antiaircraft solidity successful bid to pursuit a historical qualification for the knockout phase.

The aforesaid impermeability that allowed them to clasp Brazil to a 1-1 gully successful November, aft sailing done their African World Cup qualifying run without conceding a azygous goal.

Since then, Lamouchi has replaced Sami Trabelsi pursuing Tunisia's elimination successful the past 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations astatine the hands of Mali. The Franco-Tunisian manager's reign began reasonably good successful March with a 1-0 triumph implicit Haiti, followed by a 0-0 gully against Canada.

The manager has made bold choices successful his squad, which is ne'er casual successful a state wherever the federation is often accused of imposing its players. In a precise evenly matched radical that besides features Netherlands and Japan, the Eagles of Carthage volition person to anticipation those choices carnivore fruit.