Tunisia midfielder Ferjani Sassi has expressed strong confidence in his team’s ability to overcome Mali when the two sides meet in the Round of 16 at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, as the Carthage Eagles look to extend their stay in the tournament.
Speaking after Tunisia sealed qualification from the group stage, Sassi stressed that the focus has now shifted to correcting mistakes while building on the positives ahead of the knockout phase. He acknowledged that the team did not always deliver the performances they hoped for, but insisted that the primary objective had been achieved.
“First of all, thank God for qualifying. We achieved our goal, which was to qualify. We wanted to put on a great performance and win, but we were unable to achieve victory. Nevertheless, we have qualified,” he told ON Sport.
Looking ahead to the next phase, the experienced midfielder admitted there is room for improvement, while remaining optimistic about Tunisia’s chances.
“Now we will play the next round, God willing, three matches, with some negative aspects and others positive ones, and God willing we will try to correct the mistakes we made and build on the positive aspects,” the midfielder shared.
Sassi believes Tunisia are capable of delivering a strong showing against Mali, noting that knockout football often brings unpredictability.
He continued, “God willing, in the Mali match, we will put on a great performance. Now, in our match, anything is possible, and God willing, we will be ready. Our team is capable of going far in the tournament.”
The midfielder also addressed expectations from supporters, explaining that while the fans are central to the team’s motivation, the squad remains focused on its objectives rather than scorelines.
“Our fans are very dear to us, and we always try to make them happy, but the reality is that we came here with our goals and we are focused on them. If we followed the fans’ thinking, we would try to win every match by four or five goals, but our main goal is to qualify. Now we close the group stage and focus on our match against Mali, and we will review the mistakes we made to correct them,” he noted.
With Tunisia eyeing a deep run in Morocco, Sassi admitted the road ahead remains challenging but did not hide his broader hopes for the competition.
“The journey is still long, but we certainly hope, God willing, that this Africa Cup will go to an Arab team. If we meet Egypt, that’s another matter, but currently the journey is still long,” Sassi added.
