Football – World Cup 2022: Australia revives and puts Tunisia back to the wall (1-0)

Australia pull off the perfect shot! This Saturday afternoon, the Socceroos beat Tunisia, by the smallest of margins (0-1), on the second day of the group stage of the World Cup. At Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wahrah, Mitchell Duke’s goal (23rd) was enough. In Group D, the Australians settle temporarily in second position in the standings and relaunch themselves in the race for the round of 16, while the Eagles of Carthage bring up the rear and compromise their chances of going further.

A good hour of play is what it took for Tunisia to enter clearly into their meeting. Against Denmark (0-0), the Carthage Eagles had managed to frame only once, without already managing to find the fault. This time, the Tunisians scored four times, but they had to wait until the 72nd minute to finally put Mathew Ryan in danger. The Australian goalkeeper’s biggest intervention came in front of the Tunisian captain, when Youssef Msakni forced him to block his angle, at his first post, to repel his attempt (72nd).

First win for Australia in 12 years

As for his three other interventions, the FC Copenhagen goalkeeper clearly did not have to work. Whether it is, once again, against Msakni, in the extension of his first parade (72nd), then in front of Montassar Talbi (84th) and Wahbi Khazri (88th), who came into play to play his first minutes in this World Cup . Proof of the total impotence of Jalel Kadri’s men, who kept coming up against the Australian block, which remained perfectly in place until the last second.

However, the Australians had only one small goal in advance. Since the victorious head of Mitchell Duke (23rd, 0-1). The Okayama striker was able to deceive Aymen Dahmen, with a header with his back to goal, by finding the opposite side netting, when he was at the near post. The Tunisian goalkeeper then made a new save in front of this same opponent (44th). Before spending a particularly quiet second period, even if his team never knew how to find the solution.

It is only the second time since 1974, against Chile (0-0), that Australia has managed to record a clean sheet in the World Cup. Above all, the Socceroos had not won in a World Cup for twelve long years. Graham Arnold’s men can dream of a new round of 16 after 2006. A dream that Tunisia, for its part, may well have already forgotten.