DOHA: Tunisia boss Jalel Kadri said he was “not surprised” at the shellacking Australia endured at the hands of France, as the northern African nation prepares for this must-win encounter with the Socceroos.
“From the beginning of this tournament we saw strange results, so to speak, and we were surprised by the performance but not too surprised that France won because they are the title holders,” he told reporters ahead of today’s game.
“We know the littlest detail of the performance of the Australian team, because we’ve analysed all of their previous matches – this is why we were not surprised by the score.”
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It was perhaps not meant the way it came across through a translator, as he went on to say that his team would not be taking the Socceroos lightly.
“This is a key match for us and for Australia, you know how important this match is for both teams,” Kadri said.
“We know that excelled in some parts, when it comes to their stamina and fitness. This is why we show the greatest respect to the Australian team.”
“We deal with every match on its own, we take it step by step. We need to know how to negotiate the match to get the best match and hopefully luck will be on our side.”
Midfielder Ellyes Skhiri noted that his nation had never made it to the knockout stages before – but could take a monumental step towards doing so by beating Australia.
“We have an opportunity to get into the history books,” he said.
“We have two very difficult matches in front of us. But we mustn’t have any regrets.
“We played well in the first match but it’s going to be even tougher from now on. We must give everything so we have no regrets.
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