Tunisia head coach Sami Trabelsi acknowledged that Nigeria were the better team, admitting that his side lost many key battles during the match which ultimately led to their defeat, SportPremi reports.
The Carthage Eagles began their AFCON campaign with a dominant 3-1 win over Uganda, but were defeated 3-2 by the Super Eagles in their second match at the Fez Stadium last weekend.
Despite putting on a late fightback, they were unable to prevent falling to a defeat against a Nigerian side who dominated majority of the encounter.
The three-time African champions raced into a three-goal lead in the clash with goals from Victor Osimhen, Wilfried Ndidi and Ademola Lookman.
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However, Montassar Talbi and Ali Abdi scored in the final quarter of the clash, as Tunisia fell short in their quest for victory.
The win places Nigeria top of the group, while Tunisia now head into their clash against Tanzania hoping for a win as they chase qualification for the knockout rounds.
Everything Trabelsi said ahead of his side’s clash against Tanzania
Tunisia sprung up a surprise win over Nigeria when both sides met in 2021, but fell short this time around much to the disappointment of Sami Trabelsi.
The 57-year-old admitted his side would need more of their performance in the final 30 minutes against Nigeria if they are to enjoy an extended stay at the AFCON tournament.
“Of course, there is a sense of bitterness after the match and this defeat. We felt we could have come back, especially during the final 30 minutes. The players performed at a very high level in that period; we created many chances, scored two goals and could have scored more”, Trabelsi said.
“The defeat hurts, but there is also a positive aspect: it shows that we can compete with any opponent when we impose our style of play and our ball possession.
“We respected them, yes, while trying to remain balanced. We know that Nigeria have very fast and powerful players, so we tried to reduce the spaces. In the first half, we had a few chances that we should have taken. The goals we conceded came from crosses; it was not a matter of too much respect, but rather that we lost too many defensive and attacking duels. Once we started winning our attacking duels, we were much better and put the opponent under pressure”, the Tunisian continued.
“I repeat, we did not start the match well because we lost too many duels. However, over the final 35 minutes, we were dominant and the final result could have been very different.
“It is a matter of judgement. When we needed even more attacking penetration, we introduced Ismail Gharbi, but the performance of those already on the pitch was not poor. The next match will be decisive.”
Tunisia and Tanzania face-off later tomorrow at the Stade Olympique Annexe Complex in Rabat, hoping to avoid defeat to book their spot in the knockout rounds.
