Tunisia coach Sami Trabelsi struck a balanced tone after his team’s 1–1 draw with Tanzania, a result that booked the Carthage Eagles’ place in the AFCON 2025 Round of 16.
While the performance was far from perfect, he made it clear that the primary mission in the group stage had been accomplished.
Trabelsi underlined how much this qualification means to Tunisia after several disappointing campaigns in recent years. “The most important thing was to secure qualification. We have not done well in this competition in recent years and that is why qualification is so important,” he said, acknowledging the pressure on his squad to restore pride.
He also admitted that Tunisia did not hit their top level against Tanzania, especially after taking the lead and then sitting back too much. “We may not have played the best way possible, but we are very happy to have qualified,” Trabelsi noted, before turning his attention to the tougher challenges ahead.
Looking forward, the coach warned that the team must raise its standards in the knockout phase.
“We will be playing against stronger opposition in our upcoming games and will really need to play better because the level of competition will be even higher and requires us to improve,” he concluded.
