A historic feat. For the first time in its history, Tanzania will compete in the knockout phase of the African Cup of Nations. The Taifa Stars won their ticket to the round of 16 by holding Tunisia to a draw this Tuesday evening at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat (1-1).
The contract was simple for Miguel Gamondi’s men: a victory or a draw, combined with a parallel success for Nigeria against Uganda, assured them of a place in the next round. Victor Osimhen and his team having done the job in Fez (3-1), the Tanzanians, 3rd in Pool C, are now assured of finishing among the four best third-placed teams, ahead of Angola and the Comoros in this distance fight.
Tanzania qualified without the slightest victory
The hero of the evening is called Feisal Salum. Author of a dry strike at the entrance to the area after returning from the locker room (1-1, 48th), the 27-year-old attacking midfielder cold-picked the Carthage Eagles, inhibited and almost incapable of bringing danger to the opposing cage, contenting themselves with multiplying lateral passes for fear of being countered.
This is a major and unexpected performance for the East African nation, which was one of the little ones in the competition. Beaten by Nigeria for their entry into the competition (2-1, December 23) and hung by Uganda (1-1, December 27), the Taifa Stars achieved the feat of qualifying with two points and no victory, still running behind the first success in their history at the CAN.
The match ended under the whistles of the numerous Tunisian supporters present in the Rabat enclosure, despite the qualification also acquired by Sami Trabelsi’s men, who finished second behind Nigeria.
Widely favored against the Taifa Stars, the latter seemed paralyzed by the challenge, a far cry from the superb impression left against Uganda at the tournament opener (3-1 on December 23).
Gharbi, the only Tunisian smile
However, the affair had started well for the Eagles of Carthage, buoyed by the excellent performance of Ismaël Gharbi. Far from being borrowed like most of his partners, the attacking midfielder trained at Paris Saint-Germain did not tremble when taking responsibility to transform the penalty obtained by Hazem Mastouri (0-1, 43rd).
Starting for the first time in his young career at the CAN, the Augsburg winger created the biggest chances of the match, notably hitting the square after a beautiful curling shot (15th).
In the round of 16, the Eagles will face another unimpressive team in the group stage: Mali. The meeting will take place in Casablanca on January 3, 2026. For its part, Tanzania will face the organizing country, Morocco, on January 4 in Rabat.
