The-Shot.Net Writers Club - Tunisia

Feb 7 1600 GMT Tunisia - Senegal 1:0 (final score)

Before the match:
An exciting setup for spectacular quarter- and semi-finals: Of the big four tournament favorites Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal, and hosts Tunisia only one can reach the final. > more
Two of them will certainly receive maybe undeserved criticism already after this weekend. And one of that two will be either Tunisia or Senegal.
Neither of the two teams have been convincing yet. Senegal have been compact at least in defence, allowing only one goal and few opportunities. Tunisia can rely on Brazilian import Santos, who is a cool finsiher and provides the hosts with a better conversion rate for chances. But will they get many against this Senegalese compactness? The answer might be lying in psychology: Tunisia have been extremely nervous in the opening match and for a long time in the second match. after quarter final qualification was save, they have played much more confident. Which of the two sides we will see today and how the game develops (a first maybe lucky goal for one or the other) might implicate huge performance differences for the host team

1st half:
-Tunisia in white, Senegal in all green
-('2) Senegal: free kick cross by henri Camera from the right finds #4 Diop whose header misses the goal only by a meter
-('5) Senegal: El Hadj Diouf wins is second free kick on the right wing.
-it had been one of the strengths of Senegal 2002: Diouf seeking one to one with defenders, winning free kicks, which then get dangerous because of the Senegal superiorty in the air. Only that Fadiga is not there to deliver the crosses.
-('6) Tunisia themselves almost score when a defended free kick bounces to the feet of Jaziri, whose shot is deflected over the bar
-('7) the insuing corner is played indirectly and gets dangerous as well
-a fast, attacking football beginning
-('13) the referee makes a copy of his penalty decision at Nigeria - South Africa, but in midfield
-('15) Senegal: free kick cross, but poorly executed by Diouf
-('18) Senegal: Sakho who has won his first start, makes a good run through the defence but eventually kicks the ball out
-('22) Senegal are lucky that the referee rules Santos offside at a perfect through ball by Benachour
-it can already be said that Tunisia are not afraid of losing today and yet play with confidence
-('29) the Tunisian defence is in ciontrol except from set pieces: Sakho wins a free kick cross but his header lacks power
-Senegal play very tough with their bodies in the air, yet with the approval of the referee
-('32) Senegal: a half chance for Henri Camera after everybody else had missed a Diouf corner kick, but he does not hit the ball properly
-Senegal are hard working (as Tunisia, too) but not inspired enough to play through a Tunsisian defence always in numeral superiority
-Tunisia are only dangerous when offered free spaces for through balls
-sliding tackles have been the highlights recently
-('44)('45) the referee cautions two Senegalese, Diop for complaining after being fouled, Diao for a professional holding to stop a Tunisian counter attack
-('45+3) a Tunisian defender squanders the bal, but the Senegale make nothing out of it
-('45+4) Tunisian keeper drops a corner kick, but no Senegalese around

halftime 0:0
A fast, intense match. But with less errors and less creativity than in the first match of the day

2nd half:
-a fog that has been over the field during the first half has become much thicker during halftime and it has become difficult to see the Senegalese players in their green shirts upon the green pitch (it seems the fog is worse on one side of the field, from the Tunisian goal seen on the left hand side)
-'46-'50
-the match has continued where it ended in the first half, except from a half chance through a long range attempt by the hosts
-('52) a deflected long range shot by Tunisia gets dangerous but misses the goal
-('53) the senegalese keeper fumbles his second succesive corner kick, maybe he has problems with the sight, too.
-('56) A free kick cross is fisted away by the tunisian keeper but he is out of play as he has collided with #19 Diop about 8 meters out of his goal. #4 Diop from outside the penalty are targets on the free corner of the goal but misses by centimeters
-the fog has started to lift, the sight is much better now
-('65) Tunisia: #8 chip to Jaziri, he stops it with his chest, delivers a bicycle kick cross and #12 Mnari is unmarked to head it into the net - 1:0
-it was logical that the goal could only be scored on the side where a team is attacking
-the Senegalese appeal for a foul before the goal
-the fog now is much worse again oin the Tunisian half, the referee has problems calming the players. It seems down on the field it is better sight than from above.
-('74) finally Niang, so far the only dangerous attacker for Senegal, is brough into the match as a substitute
-('76) Senegal: Diouf free kick into the wall, his second attempt is more dangerous but far wide anyway
-('77) Senegal: a too short free kick cross by Diouf, it is at least his second of the match
-('78) Senegal lose the ball in build up and are lucky when Sylva recovers a fumbled cross
-Tunisians are in good spirits and fire each other up even when had made a mistake
-('80) Senegal with two half chances from a counter attack and a corner kick
-Senegal now pressure, but naturally Tunisia have more space on counter attacks. On that occasions they seem to seek the second goal by going with four, five players
-('85) what looks like a mean challenge by #19 Diop in the air against the goalscorer interrupts the match for a minute because of injury timeout
-('87) Tunisia successfully defend two dangerous crosses
-('88) Tunisian defender Badra claims a head injury as well after a challenge by #19 Diop, who goes into every header very physically at the borderline to headbutting
-('90) Senegal: wide centimeters only when a bycicle kick is deflected by a Senegalese head
-('90) 10 minutes injury time are signaled !(?) (might be 5 and missunderstood)
-the match has been interrupted several times, especially after the goal, but 10 minutes seem, let's put it 'very consequent'
-('90+3) Senegalese keeper Sylva is out of his goal in midfield, Ben Achour tries to make a shopt from inside his half but too weak
-('90+5) tension rises high when Santos, to be substituted, walks off extremely slowly. The Senegalese have problems keeping their nerves
-a wild match now in all aspects
-('90+9) Senegal: a #21 volley, wide
-('90+10) Senegal: a last cross, defended well

final score 1:0
an emotional match in which the Senegalese did not have enough means to get past the Tunisian defence and did not do enough to attack themselves as it was obvious that this was a who scores first wins.