It’s fashionable to talk about rarity. It will only be this Wednesday, November 30, the 5th confrontation between France and Tunisia. Previously, the Blues had never crossed paths with the Eagles of Carthage in the final phase of the World Cup.
On the other hand, on three occasions this opponent ended up in their path, either in the preamble or the day after the planetary tournament. A friendly confrontation on October 14, 2008 at the Stade de France sparked a memorable tirade from a resident of the Elysee Palace. In fact, Nicolas Sarkozy banged his fist on the table to stigmatize the appeal intended for the “La Marseillaise” that was chanted during the anthems. The incident was even called “scandalous” by the President of the Republic.
May 19, 1978, Platini changes the scene, Korver at the whistle
Both countries are finalizing their final settings before joining Argentina, host of the 12th World Cup. If France returns to this competition after a twelve-year absence, it will be a baptism of fire for its opponent, where the wavy Temime Lahzami, the future Marseille player, and Tarak Dhiab, the master of the game of the 1978 generation, shine in particular. , the only Tunisian to have registered his name on the African Ballon d’Or list a year earlier.
In The Blues, Michel Hidalgo decides to suck off Michel Platini. But Jean-Marc Guillou’s ankle injury forced him to rethink his original plan and launch his strategist shortly before halftime. Then the physiognomy of the meeting changes completely. At first embarrassed by the Tunisian vivacity, the Blues are forced to make a decision with their number 10 after the game against Dalguer (71st), which then worsens the score (74th).
France completes preparations with a tenth unbeaten match. Deservedly, Tunisia will become the first African team in Argentina to win a match at the World Cup (against Mexico, 3:1). This meeting is judged by a certain Charles Korver. The Dutchman, who died in 2020, is infamously remembered for failing to rule out Harald Schumacher, the author of the blatant attack on Patrick Battistone in the 1982 World Cup semi-finals in Spain.
August 21, 2002, Sylvester’s head, Lemerre’s shadow.
A new beginning ? For the first time since the bitter failure of the 2002 World Cup in South Korea, the Blues return to the field during a friendly match on the ersatz lawn of the Stade du 7 November in Rades, a suburb south of Tunisia. If Jacques Santini, Roger Lemerre’s successor as manager, was able to rejuvenate the group by finding four new players, then on the other hand he has renewed Marcel Desailly as captain. This change in succession sanctifies the power of the “elders”.
It is very much seen that the Blues have to showcase their talent. They start the meeting on a good footing. Having received a corner from the right edge from Zidane, Mikael Silvestre headed from the corner of six meters (19th place) opened the scoring.
Locals wash the board before the break after an action game involving two players from Esperance de Tunis. After a pass by Murad Melki, Ali Zitouni beat Thuram and Silvestre and equalized with a header. The second half sends two teams back to back. Less than two years later, Tunisia won at home against their Moroccan neighbour, the first and only CAN in their history to date with a certain… Roger Lemerre on his bench as France ceded their scepter to Portugal. fight in 2000.
May 30, 2010, the beginning of the end
En route to South Africa, the vice-champions land in Sousse, where they are preparing their penultimate warm-up match against the Carthage Eagles, who have failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1994. In Rades, ahead of a full stadium, the French team failed to confirm their first encouraging outing against Costa Rica a few days earlier in Lance (2-1). Having already scored a goal at the Stade de France in 2008, Issam Djemaa returned the cover by taking a pass from Ben Halfallah (5th).
The good sides of the 4-3-3 scheme, tested against Tico, seem to have faded, and the shortcomings, namely the defense completely cut off from the rest of the team, cruelly crawl out to the surface. While his left calf was troublesome in preparation for Tinho, it was Gallas’ header from Gourcuff’s free-kick that saved the Blues (1-1, 63).
The shooter is one of the few good news of the match, and Gourcuff and Ribery are two of the few trying to create, change and overthrow. Promises without a future. The worm is already in fruit, and a few weeks later, France will discredit itself in the eyes of the whole world with a pathetic Knysna bus episode, the climax of the World Cup in South Africa, which turned into a nightmare.
Source: Le Parisien
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have a keen interest in sports and have written for many different publications. I am currently working as an author at 24 News Recorder. I cover mostly sports news but also write about other topics such as current affairs and politics. I have a strong interest in social media and how it can be used to engage with audiences.
