Senegal vs Tunisia – LiveBlog

January 23rd, 2008 | by: Daryl | View Comments

It’s Lions of Teranga vs Carthage Eagles in what should be a tightly contested Group D encounter. After Morocco and Egypt got off to winning starts, Tunisia could make it three wins out of three for North Africa. We’re LiveBlogging the action below…

Senegal 2-2 Tunisia

Sall 45′, Kamara 65′ – Jemaa 9′ Traoui 81′

FULL-TIME It’s finished 2-2. Tunisia get a draw that – two brilliant goals aside – they probably don’t deserve. Senegal need to work on their shooting.

Three minutes of stoppage time.

89′ The tackles go flying in. It ends wih El Bekri on the ground and Diomansy Kamara gettinng one of the refs yellow cards. I’m surprised he has any room to book players at this point.

88′ Jaidi gets his head to an inviting cross but his header is way off target.

86′Chikhaoui goes round Diawara but then runs it out of play. Typical of Chikhaoui’s night, he’s been really disappointing.

84′ EHD puts in another deep free kick but Kasaraoui has learned his lesson and catches this one.

81′ GOAL! Traoui hammers one from at least 30 yards away. That rivals Hosni and Muntari’s goals. Just in time for Tunisia too, as they looked beat.

80′ It’s midfieler Zouaghi off for Etoile striker Dhiffalah. So an attacking move by Lemerre. But too little too late?

78′ Looks like Lemerre is preparing a last throw of the dice from the bench. Tunisia can’t seem to mount an attack.

75′ Niang caught Felhi with a harsh tackle, but is man enough to apologize. Doesn’t help Felhi though as he’s stretchered off.

72′ Zaiem booked for taking a free-kick too early. This ref loves flashing that yellow card.

71′ Roger Lemerre looks just as miserable now as when he was winning.

70′ Zaiem pulls a shot out of nowhere. It’s not on target though and only serves to remind us how long it’s been since Tunisia had a proper attack.

68 Great skill and turn on the edge of the box by Camara, and he’s maybe unlucky not to get a penalty. And you know he’s done something really good if I praise him.

64′ EHD sends in a free kick and Senegal win a corner. Scramble in the box from the corner and GOAL!!! as Kamara is composed enough to poke it home. EHD organizes the celebrations.

61′ Just to have this out in the open, I have a deep loathing for Henri Camara. He played a season for my team Wolves in 2003/4 where he mostly couldn’t hit a barn door. A late scoring run attracted interest from other teams, so Camara booked himself into a Paris hotel and refused to leave until Wolves signed him.

60′ Mendy’s reward for supplying that cross is to be subbed off! Henri Camara comes on to replace him.

60′ Close again! Niang gets his foot to a low cross in the six yard box but it flashed just wide. What happened to early first half Tunisia? Did they go home?

58′ Lemerre might want to make some changes. At least that’s what the tv producers think, as they keep showing shots of the Tunisia bench.

56′ The ref books another Tunisian for diving in the box. Traoui is very unlucky. He went down after the ball had gone after being sandwiched between two Senegal defenders. He didn’t even appeal for a penalty.

51′ Niang’s shot is saved by Kasroui but El-Hadji Diouf (or EDF as he’s known from here on out, that name is a bitch to type) isn’t giving up so easy and tangles with Kasroui only to shoot wide.

50′ Dos Santos goes down in the area with no contact and gets a booking from the ref for being a big faker. Ref even makes him stand up to receive his yellow card like a man.

48′ Close! Kamra is put through bu El-Hadji Diouf but shoots just wide. Possibly Kamara has poor periphary vision becuase Niang was unmarked in the middle and waiting for a pass. It’s all Senegal so far.

45′ We’re off again and El-Hadji Diouf is straight on it, coming very close after being allowed through.

Half-Time And that’s that for the first 45. Tunisia tried to sit on 1-0 and paid the price, now Senegal have the momentum for the second 45.

Jaidi had attempted to get his foot in front of a Ndoye through ball, but didn’t clear properly.
Defensive mid Sall reacts first to a loose ball in Tunisa’s defence and slots it past Kasroui.

45′ GOAL! 1-1!

43′ Chikhaoui and Dos Santos play a double one-two before Chikhaoui takes a clumsy touch.

41′ Jemma tries every stepover in the book to beat Diawara, but Diawara patiently waits and then steps across him to clear the ball. Good old-fashioned defending.

40′ El-Hadji Diouf with a bad tackle on Bekri. Diouf protests his innocence but the fact that Bekri is leaving on a stretcher suggests otherwise.

38′ Kamara shows everyone how it’s down with a really dangerous cross from the right, narrowly misisng El-Hadji Diouf’s head.

37′ Felhi produces an awful cross/shot from deep that sails high, wide and handsome. Maybe there was another Senegal player down injured?

33′ Senegal knock the ball out of play because of an injury. Dos Santos receives the resulting throw for Tunisia but sportingly knocks it out of play for a goal kick. Peace and love briefly reign in Tamale.

31′ Still not a drop of spit seen coming from El-Hadji Diouf. No goals either though.

27′ Now Beye is stripped of the ball and goalscorer Jomaa is off down the wing. Jomma is halted by a supern tackle from Abdoulaye Faye who then yells at Beye for losing the ball.

26′ Senegal enjoy a long spell of possession, ending with a horrible cross from Habib Beye. Stick to defeding fella.

22′ Niang works himself a tiny gap and hits a shot about as close as you can get with hitting the post.

21′ Jaidi brings down El-Hadji Diouf, who rolls around like mid 90s Jurgen Klinsmann.

19′ Chikhaoui plays a rubbish backpass, forcing keeper Kasrauoi to come sliding out. Kasrauoi not happy about that.

17′ The commentator informs me that Diomansy Kamara’s name is spelt with a “K” because of a clerical error in Paris. I’d be angry.

16′ Tunisia play some confident passing football, until they lose it. Senegal win a throw, take it long and Diomansy Kamara has a half chance.

10′ Roger Lemerre has a very Roger Lemerre look on his face. He’a a difficult man to like. Smile man, you’re winning.

Issam Jemaa plays a quick one-two and strike a beauty of a left footer from a narrow angle. 1-0 Tunisia.

09′ Goal! Tunisia. North Africa strikes again.

00′ Kick off. We’re underway.

Lineups:

Tunisia: 1-Hamdi Kasraoui; 14-Chaker Zouaghi, 5-Wissem Bekri, 6-Radhouane Felhi, 15-Radhi Jaidi, 3-Karim Hagui, 12-Joahar Mnari, 21-Mejdi Traoui, 17-Issam Jemaa, 11-Francileudo dos Santos, 9-Yassine Chikhaoui

Senegal: 1-Tony Sylva; 21-Habib Beye, 5-Souleymane Diawara, 20-Abdoulaye Faye, 3-Guirane Ndaw; 15-Diomansy Kamara, 18-Frederic Mendy, 10-Ousmane Ndoye, 12-Moustapha Bayal Sall; 11-El Hadji Diouf, 8-Mamadou Niang

PREVIEW

The Big Picture: Senegal vs Tunisia. Lions of Teranga vs Carthage Eagles. Group D. Tamale. 17:00 kick-off.

Two teams with plenty to offer going forward, so let’s hope for an attack-filled encounter.

Scout Report – Senegal
Lots of talent and if not one of the favourites, then it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if they won. Premiership stars El-Hadji Diouf, Henri Camara and Diomansy Kamara all offer a potent threat, Papa Douba Diop should be quite literally a big presence in midfield and Mamadou Niang can’t stop scoring for Marseille.

Senegal team blog

Scout Report – Tunisia
The 2004 winners have been rebuilding in Yassine Chickhaoui have one of the potential stars of the tournemant. The attacking mid/striker has been likened to Zidane himself, which can’t be a bad thing. Yassine Chermiti is suspended, but Silva Dos Santos (who is Brazilian born in case you couldn’t tell) may have been picked ahead of Chermiti anyway.

Tunisia team blog

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