Tunisia secured a historic win as they defeated France 1-0 in their final match at the 2022 World Cup thanks to a second half goal by Wahbi Khazri. Although the victory failed to see them into the last 16, Tunisia will be delighted at finding their first win against European opposition at a World Cup finals, especially against world champions France. It was an excellent performance by the African side and they were better than France from the off, despite Didier Deschamps making a host of changes to his team that saw the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele rested and on the bench. Griezmann thought he had snatched a late equalizer for Les Bleus but it was ruled out for offside following a VAR review. Nonetheless, it is a win that will go down in history for Tunisia, although they were beaten by Australia to the final spot to advance into the knockouts. So, here’s our Tunisia player ratings for their dramatic win over France.
Tunisia (3-4-3):
Aymen Dahmen – 6.5
Made a couple of stops to deny Mbappe late on but had very little to do for the most part.
Yassine Meriah – 7
Accurate in possession and was fairly solid defensively here.
Nader Ghandri – 7.5
Thought he had scored the opener for Tunisia in the first half but his goal was disallowed for offside. Did well in his duels both on the ground and aerially.
Montassar Talbi – 7
Didn’t have loads to do defensively but was up to the task when required.
Wajdi Kechrida – 6.5
Booked for a late sliding challenge on Eduardo Camavinga in the first half. Looked to support the attack at times, causing issues down the right flank.
Ellyes Skhiri – 7
Helped progress play in the midfield well and made a few interceptions too.
Aissa Laidouni – 8
Lovely nutmeg on Camavinga in the first half. Battled well in the midfield and also created a number of chances for Tunisia. Provided the assist for Khazri’s goal.
Ali Maaloul – 7
Put in a good cross towards the back post in the first half that forced Camavinga into some good defensive play. Played a couple of good balls into the box from the left and did cause a threat down the left flank.
Anis Slimane – 6
Worked hard in the Tunisia front line and won a few aerial duels but lacked any real quality in his play.
Wahbi Khazri – 8
Put Tunisia ahead just before the hour mark, displaying excellent work rate and determination before taking the ball past Raphael Varane and finishing past Steve Mandanda. Led the press from the front and caused problems for France before being replaced by Issam Jebali.
Mohamed Ben Romdhane – 6.5
Looked lively down the left flank early on with some direct running at the French defense. Also put himself about, making a few tackles.
Substitutions
Issam Jebali – 5
Not much to do when he came on as Tunisia looked to protect their lead.