The North Africans sealed their qualification to the knockout stages despite only getting a 1-1 draw against a determined Tanzania at Stade Olympique Annexe Complexe Sportif Prince Abdellah in Rabat on Tuesday.
The Carthage Eagles struggled to break down the East African side and despite taking the lead, they allowed Tanzania to pull a comeback for the draw. After a dominant start to the first half which saw man of the match Ismael Gharbi rattle the woodwork, Tunisia took the lead from the penalty spot.
Hazem Mastouri was fouled in the box by Tanzania captain and defender Bakari Mwamnyeto and following a lengthy VAR review, Tunisia were awarded a penalty. Gharbi stepped up to convert, giving the North Africans a deserved lead.
However, at the start of the second half, Tanzania coach Miguel Gamondi pulled out captain Mbwana Samatta, replacing him with Selemani Mwalimu.
Tanzania threatened first with Simon Msuva’s low effort going wide. However, a minute later, Tanzania drew level. Feisal Salum unleashed a superb effort from outside the 18-yard area and it rolled past Aymen Dahmen. The goal was the third for Tanzania at the tournament this 2025 edition.
The two sides had previously crossed paths only during qualification for the 2021 edition. Tunisia claimed a narrow 1-0 victory in Radès in 2020, with Youssef Msakni scoring the decisive goal.
Tunisia have not done well at AFCON 2025
Speaking after the fixture, Trabelsi told reporters: “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.
“We may not have played the best way possible, but we are very happy to have qualified. 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.”
Tunisia's journey started with a 3-1 win against Uganda, before they suffered a 3-2 defeat against Nigeria on matchday two. The fixture against Tanzania marked the first-ever meeting between the two at AFCON finals.
Gamondi was elated with the outcome, which enabled Tanzania to qualify for their first knockout stage appearance in the history of AFCON.
“I didn’t have enough time to prepare the team, but we worked together with the management and federation and feel very proud. Not just for myself but for the country. I wanted to change this mentality of underdogs,” said the Argentine coach.
“To qualify is a great learning for Tanzania who must be proud. I hope this will be a reminder to these players and the next generation of players on the potential of Tanzanian football.”
Prior to Morocco, Tanzania had played in three AFCONs - 1980, 2019 and 2023. At some point, Tanzania had to wait for 39 years before qualifying for another.
