Youssef Msakni، Espérance Sportive de Tunis
Two second-half goals from Youssef Mskani and Adel Chadli against Basque Country gave Sami Trabelsi and the Tunisian national team an ideal start to their Spanish training camp on Wednesday evening.
The home team kicked off the proceedings on a pitch soaked by heavy rain but it was the Tunisians who created the first threatening chances through Msakni, Zouhaier Dhaouadi, and Lamjed Chehoudi. However, the north Africans’ finishing wasn’t as impressive as their build-up play and the game remained scoreless.
It didn’t take long for the locals to take command of midfield and begin focalising their attacks on their centre-forward, Aritz Aduriz, who on two occasions attempted acrobatic scissor kicks as well as a number of headers without success. A breakthrough nearly came in minute 28 but the Tunisian goalkeeper, Aymen Mathlouthi, was equal to the Valencia based players’ vicious shot.
After dominating possession for long periods, the locals experienced a dip in form near the end of the first half and the Tunisians almost took advantage when Msakni found Chehoudi in the box. The Etoile striker attempted to curl the ball past his marker only for his shot to go high and wide.
Jose Maria Ammorrortu and Mikel Etxarri’s men began the second half looking dominant once more and saw a few excellent opportunities saved by Mathlouthi and later by his substitute Moez Ben Cherifia. The Tunisians rode their luck at times but managed to bend without breaking at the back.
It looked as if the home team were ready to give their fans reason to celebrate but a flurry of substitutions changed the equation for both sides and it was Trabelsi’s squad that benefitted, scoring the first goal in minute 67 against the run of play. Though there was a suspicion of offside, Msakni had a simple tap-in after Chermiti’s swivelling shot bounced off the post.
The Basque players pressed forward relentlessly and substitute Gaizka Toquero had many chances to level the score but his teammates neglected their defensive duties once more and Adel Chedli gave the Carthage Eagles a two-goal cushion after excellent hold-up play by Chermiti in the penalty box and an effective interplay between Iheb Msakni, the first goalscorer’s older brother, and Yassine Chikhaoui.
The Tunisians will now travel to Barcelona where they will face Catalonia on Friday as they continue preparing for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon). Meanwhile, the men in green will be left rueing their lack of efficiency in a game that they, for the most part, dominated.