If the Eagles of Carthage had certainly already validated their ticket for the next African Cup of Nations in Morocco, their defeat conceded against Gambia at home at the Stade de Radès on Monday November 18 remains no less worrying. for the Tunisian selection in the short and medium term.
Tunisia hosted Gambia yesterday, Monday, already eliminated, for the last day of qualifying for CAN 2025. The Eagles of Carthage were surprised (0-1), goal from Abdoulie Ceesay from the 17thth minute, which cost them their first place in group A, to the benefit of a modest Comoros team.
On paper, the starting 11 aligned by interim coach Kais Yaâkoubi had something to seduce. Obviously keen to rotate his squad, the coach has nevertheless preserved some pillars of his training, such as the indestructible captain Yassine Meriah as head of defense, Aïssa Laidouni with an offensive vocation, or even Ali El Abdi, winger who had particularly shone in the last match at the end of a rebound match against Madagascar. At 10 against 11, Tunisia had indeed won 3-2 thanks precisely to a goal from Abdi in the last seconds of the match which offered the Eagles qualification. A forceps victory, which was already enough to raise alarms about the health of this selection.
Never mind, Seifallah Letaief unleashes a sublime strike in the 12thth minute following a hook entering the penalty area, but which ends on the right post. The sanction is immediate 5 minutes later: the Tunisians are overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of an uninhibited Gambia, who despite the absence of a challenge displays football that is as physical as it is rough and fast on the counter-attack.
Fitness and the goalkeeping crisis
Unanimous, observers note that what poses a problem in the Tunisian selection is more the physical form of the moment than the technicality which was there. Confident, the Eagles “put down” the ball more often via a short game, but as soon as the ball is lost in the center of the field, the bursts of speed fail in recovery and in contact in particular.
Another black point, the difficulty of selecting a goalkeeper at the level remains a recurring shadow in Tunisia for several generations. Two recent events have further complicated things for the coach: the terrible injury to Moez Hassan, replacement goalkeeper, during the match between the African Club and the Union Sportive Monastirienne, played on November 2 as part of the 7th day of Ligue 1. An open fracture of the tibia will paralyze him for many months.
A series of poor performances then from the very young starting goalkeeper Amanallah Memmiche, who is going through a bad patch at the club. At barely 20 years old, he made numerous blunders and conceded easy goals. A feverishness which led to the loss of his place to the benefit of Aymen Dahmen (27 years old) who has more experience but was also not in his best form on Monday, static on the Gambia goal which was certainly diverted.
In the second half, the Eagles of Carthage tried everything by bringing in new blood but nothing worked. If they save the furniture with a qualification in a group within their reach, they will have to, according to Faouzi Benzarti, work on the faulty automatisms of a group of individuals who lack playing time within the selection.
