Tunisia Coach Downplays Qualifying Record, Eyes Tough Sweden Test

Tunisia had an impressive qualifying record with zero goals conceded. However, this sounds more impressive than it is. The opposition was far from top-class, and in their warm-up match, Sweden's first World Cup opponent was thrashed.

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The team performed extremely well in qualifying without conceding a single goal. But with all due respect, now we are playing against Sweden. Then against Japan, the best team in Asia, and against the Netherlands. It will be tough.

Tunisia won their World Cup qualifying group in dominant style without conceding a single goal, facing nations ranked 195th (São Tomé and Príncipe), 129th (Malawi), 105th (Equatorial Guinea), 121st (Namibia), and 140th (Liberia). Head coach Sabri Lamouchi is aware that the defensively flawless record his national team displayed does not say much about what lies ahead in the World Cup.

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They hardly need an introduction for my players. They know them well. They are two incredible players.

"The team performed extremely well in qualifying without conceding a single goal. But with all due respect, now we are playing against Sweden. Then against Japan, the best team in Asia, and against the Netherlands. It will be tough," Lamouchi said at the press conference the day before the premiere against Sweden. He specifically highlighted the threat posed by Sweden's attacking duo – Viktor Gyökeres and Alexander Isak – who will force Tunisia to show their true capabilities in a completely different context. "They hardly need an introduction for my players. They know them well. They are two incredible players," Lamouchi stated, also mentioning other prominent Swedish players like Anthony Elanga and Yasin Ayari.

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He is an excellent player. We wish him good luck in the tournament. But we will wait until after the match.

Ayari, who has a Tunisian father, could have chosen to represent Tunisia but opted for Sweden. "He is an excellent player. We wish him good luck in the tournament. But we will wait until after the match," Lamouchi said. The Frenchman took over Tunisia in January after the nation's disappointing performance in the Africa Cup of Nations, where they were eliminated in the round of 16 by Mali. "I assess that we have made great progress. We have found answers to some questions, and I have only been in charge of this team for four matches. I feel very proud of what we have achieved so far." The team, however, wants to forget last week's warm-up match against Belgium, which they lost 0-5 after playing with ten men for a large part of the second half. "It was a frustrating result for us, but it is important to move on now," said Sabri Lamouchi.

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I assess that we have made great progress. We have found answers to some questions, and I have only been in charge of this team for four matches. I feel very proud of what we have achieved so far.