Friday January 27, 2012 Group Stage: Group C Finished Stade de l'Amitié

Niger 1 - 2 Tunisia

  • Ngounou 9’
  • Msekni 4’
  • Jemaa 90’

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  1. African Cup of Nations - Tunisia win late over Niger

    African Cup of Nations - Tunisia win late over Niger

    Tunisia made a big step towards the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations with a dramatic 2-1 win over Niger in Libreville. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Niger
    • Tunisia
    • 90+5' The final whistle goes and Tunisia are surely all but through to the quater-finals. You can follow live coverage of Gabon v Morocco at 19:00 to see if Tunisia do make it through with a game to spare.
    • 90+4' Kassaly smothers Msakni's attempt to lift a strike over him and Darragi's follow-up strike hits the bar!
    • 90+2' Niger substitution: Alhassane replaces Bulus.
    • 90' Niger have four minutes of added time to salvage something here.
    • 88' GOAL!! NIGER 1-2 TUNISIA!! It's the substitute Jemaa who has surely booked Tunisia's place in the quarter-finals. The forward beat the offside trap, evaded a challenge int he area before firing a left-footed strike home!
    • 85' Tunisia have a corner. It's headed down to Jemal who shoots on the turn but Soumaila makes another vital block!
    • 84' Niger substitution: Laouali replaces Boubacar.
    • 83' Once again Maazou's pace counts against him as he is flagged offside even though Kamiliu's pass was made when he was level.
    • 81' This has been Niger's most dominant spell of the match, actually taking the game to Tunisia rather than hitting them on the counter.
    • 79' Lancina will take this free-kick, in a central area some 25 yards from goal... Drilled low and hard but it's right at Mathlouthi!
    • 78' Haggui goes into the book for a very high challenge on Kamilou.
    • 77' Plenty of bodies in the Niger box and Msakni picks out Jemaa... Tremendous block by Chikoto!
    • 74' Maazou hares down the right with the ball and tries a 180 turn around Jemal. He hits the deck just inside the box, but the Tunisian did not help him on his way down and clears the ball.
    • 72' Tunisia have had six shots off target to Niger's four so far.
    • 71' Niger substitution: Kamilou replaces William. One knock too many for the goal scorer!
    • 70' William is once more receiving tretment after another hefty collision. He's been through the mill, really puts himself about.
    • 68' Skillful turn on the edge of the box by Msakni but he is crowded out by three defenders before he can find a shot or a pass to make.
    • 67' Niger are unable to create a clear chance from the free-kick and the passage of play ends with a Tunisia goal kick.
    • 66' Tunisia substitution: Allagui replaces Chikhaoui.
    • 65' Maazou holds the ball up by the touchline and Ifa fouls him. Niger will send plenty forward for this.
    • 64' END-TO-END!! Aymen Abdennour lines up a strike from the edge of the Niger box that is deflected on to the post! Niger break and Maazou again leaves Ifa on his backside but Mathlouthi is off his line to intercept before the nippy forward can reach it!
    • 62' Lucky escape for tunisia and Ifa in particular as Maazu is flagged offside when replays show he was level when the pass was made. He would have been clean through there.
    • 60' To be fair, YAW, there has been a fair bit of rolling around. Earlier Maazou was acting as though he had been shot before leaping to his feet and jogging away!
    • 59' Someone called YAW has written in to say: "The African Cup has brought back memories of how­ football was played before the health and safety UEFA­ referees took over. Europe needs to go back to playing­ football the right way with no lipsticks , handbags and­ rolling around like toddlers. Keep it up Africa ,you­ all play proper football."
    • 58' At the other end Kassaly is off his line quickly to stop Jemaa lifting the ball over him.
    • 57' Plenty of uncertainty in the Tunisia defence as Haggui lets the ball bounce in the area before hooking it away.
    • 56' Bit of a melee on the edge of the box and the free-kick goes their way.
    • 55' Victor Cudjoe has written in to say: "Tunisians look good in their first match...they should­ count themselves lucky for not being behind this game." You can share your thoughts either by posting below or by getting in touch with me via Twitter @tony_mabert.
    • 54' Traoui is booked for an off-the-ball incident with William. Frustration creeping into the Tunisian's game now.
    • 53' Tunisia try a short corner routine but it results in a Niger throw.
    • 52' Msakni brings the ball forward to the edge of the box and his effort is blocked for a corner. He looks by far Tunisia's most influential player.
    • 50' Tunisia substituion: Darragi replaces Dhaouadi.
    • 49' William is in the wars again, colliding with a Tunisia player after Maazou's run takes him out of play.
    • 48' Tunisia trying to reaffirm their dictation of the play early in the second half. Will be interesting to see how the substitution affects their style, if at all.
    • 46' The second half is underway!
    • HT Tunisia substitution: Jemaa repalces Chermiti.
    • 45+3' Half-time is called, and an exciting 45 minutes has come to a close.
    • 45+3' Dhaouadi is now being stretchered off the pitch for further treatment. Perhaps the referee saw an immediate opportunity to atone for not giving Niger a penalty.
    • 45+2' Another very questionable decision as Chicoto yanks Zouhair Dhaouadi to the floor ont he edge of the Niger box, but the free-kick goes his way!
    • 45+1' A tough decision for the referee to make, but replays confirm that the Tunisia defender did indeed catch Maazou's leg. He's lucky to get away with that one.
    • 45' Maazou latches on to another ball down the left channel, steps inside Haggui and is brought down... No penalty!
    • 44' Msakni has few options some 40 yards from goal. He tries to lob the Niger goalkeeper but it was more out of desperation than inventiveness.
    • 43' Chermiti almost played in inside the box, but Niger keeper Daouda Kassaly, who in truth has had little to do, is off his line to catch the ball.
    • 41' No player attempted more tackles than Tunisia’s Khaled Korbi (8) in the opening round of fixtures of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
    • 39' William pulls out his bag of tricks as he tries to beat two defenders on the edge of the Tunisia box. He has team-mates well-placed for the pass but he insists on doing it all himself. Eventually he attempts a desperate dive on the edge of the box, but the referee is not fooled and waved play on.
    • 37' Tunisia get the first ball in clear of the box and the follow-up effort goes way off target.
    • 36' Bilel Ifa follows the run of Mohamed Soumaila all the way to the byline and blocks his cross. Another corner to Niger.
    • 35' Niger have a corner. It's sent in and Mathlouthi makes a hash of his attempted punch. He is fortunate that the referee whistles for a foul on him, because there didn't really appear to be one.
    • 34' Maazou sprays a diagonal ball to Boubacar, who turns back inside past his full-back and drills a low strike off the foot of the post! Not sure Mathlouthi would have got there in time.
    • 32' There's a great replay of that last Maazou chance in which Boubacar is seen running through imploring for the square pass! That was never going to happen.
    • 30' Maazou terrorising the Tunisia defence again. He sprints forward, knocks the ball through two defenders and then beats him to it but can only fire his low shot inches wide of the far post!
    • 28' Ali is OK, and is soon back on the field of play.
    • 27' Niger's Ali is being stretchered off for treatment. There may be a substitution in the offing here.
    • 25' Haggui tracks back to stop Maazou running on to yet another long ball down the channel. The Tunisian gets in front of him and is then blatantly hauled down by the Niger forward! There are some handbags, but the referee keeps cards in pocket and gives Tunisia the free-kick.
    • 23' Midway through the first half and the pattern appears set. Tunisia like to dominate the possession and slow the pace down, but they look vulnerable to Niger on the counter-attack.
    • 21' William makes good progress into the Tunisia box from the right, but he has no support.
    • 20' The free-kick is floated into the box and Karim Haggui wins the aerial battle... The header is glanced over the bar!
    • 19' Mohamed Chicoto makes a tackle on Yassine Chikhaoui, but the referee felt his boot was too high. Free-kick in a good position for Tunisia.
    • 17' Great run from Maazou as he latches on to Harouna's through pass fromt he back but he blazes his strike way over the bar from close range! Another sign that the lack of pace in the Tunisia defence is a real weakness.
    • 16' Msakni again with the ball played to feet inside the Niger box, but he has to dig his shot out in a hurry and it curls the wrong side of the far upright!
    • 14' After quite a frantic opening period, the tempo has now slowed a little as both teams are still smarting from conceding early goals.
    • 12' Well, the overall quality of this tournament is a lot higher than some ill-informed detractors might have you believe, but that is not the first awful bit of goalkeeping at this year's finals and is unlikely to be the last!
    • 10' Anyway, the upshot is that William has scored niger's first goal of the tournament.
    • 9' Mathlouthi is claiming that Maazou handles the ball in the build-up to that goal, but his appeals are in vain. He should not have given the Niger forward the opportunity in the first place.
    • 8' GOAL!! NIGER 1-1 TUNISIA!! Awful howler from the goalkeeper Mathlouthi! He waits for a long ball to bounce before going to catch it, but Maazou's leap is enough to put him off and William Tonji Ngounou heads into the unguarded net!
    • 7' Zouhair Dhaouadi has a strike from range, but it flashes over the bar!
    • 6' M'Sakni attempted nine dribbles for Tunisia in their opening game win over Morocco – the most on the first matchday of the tournament.
    • 5' That's Msakni's second goal of the tournament.
    • 4' GOAL!! NIGER 0-1 TUNISIA!! Youssef Msakni turns around 30 yards from goal and heads for the area. There is a huge gap in the Niger defence for him to exploit and Esperance Sportive midfielder dribvles his way through and side-foots a finish into the far bottom corner!
    • 3' The ball is chipped over the top of the Tunisia defence and Moussa Maazou sprints through them to get on to it. His first touch runs just too far in front of him and the grateful goalkeeper Aymen Mathlouthi can collect it. An early warning sign for Tunisia.
    • 2' Issoufou Boubacar tries to jink his way down the right wing but is dispossessed. Ammar Jemal tries to lead the counter for Tunisia but the move fizzles out.
    • 1' Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe blows his whistle and Niger get this match underway!
    • 15:55 The players are out on the pitch and the anthems are being sung as we speak. We'll be underway in Libreville very shortly...
    • 15:50 Of course, I am glad to have you joining my live commentary here. I'm Tony Mabert, and you can share your thoughts on the match with me via Twitter @tony_mabert.
    • 15:45 Remember, you can watch every match LIVE on British Eurosport and British Eurosport 2, or on your PC via the Eurosport Player. Subscribe to Eurosport Player
    • 15:40 For all you fans of Premier League teams following this online, here is a list of all the England-based players at the tournament and how they have done thus far. Premier League watch
    • 15:35 Earlier that day, tournament co-hosts Gabon got off to a flier with a 2-0 victory that leaves Niger bottom of the group going into this second round of fixtures in the group. Match report
    • 15:30 In their first Group C match on Monday, Tunisia gave North African rivals Morocco a masterclass in the counter-attack with a 2-1 win. Match report
    • 15:25 Tunisia can seal their place in the quarter-finals with a win here in the first match of today's double-header in the Gabonese capital. If that happens, Niger will have to Gabon lose to Morocco later today and then beat the north African side in their final group game. Group tables
    • 15:20 Niger: Daouda Kassaly; Jimmy Bulus, Mohamed Chicoto, Koffi Dankwa, Mohamed Soumaila; Abdoul Karim Lancina, Olivier Bonnes, William Tonji Ngounou, Issoufou Boubacar; Yacouba Ali, Moussa Maazou /// Tunisia: Aymen Mathlouthi; Aymen Abdennour, Karim Haggui, Bilel Ifa, Ammar Jemal; Khaled Korbi, Mejdi Traoui, Yassine Chikhaoui, Zouhair Dhaouadi; Amine Chermiti, Youssef Msakni.
    • - Welcome to Eurosport's live coverage of the African Cup of Nations Group C clash between Niger and Tunisia at the Stade d'Angondje, Libreville!

  • Summary

    • 90+4' Kassaly smothers Msakni's attempt to lift a strike over him and Darragi's follow-up strike hits the bar!
    • 88' GOAL!! NIGER 1-2 TUNISIA!! It's the substitute Jemaa who has surely booked Tunisia's place in the quarter-finals. The forward beat the offside trap, evaded a challenge int he area before firing a left-footed strike home!
    • 85' Tunisia have a corner. It's headed down to Jemal who shoots on the turn but Soumaila makes another vital block!
    • 79' Lancina will take this free-kick, in a central area some 25 yards from goal... Drilled low and hard but it's right at Mathlouthi!
    • 77' Plenty of bodies in the Niger box and Msakni picks out Jemaa... Tremendous block by Chikoto!
    • 64' END-TO-END!! Aymen Abdennour lines up a strike from the edge of the Niger box that is deflected on to the post! Niger break and Maazou again leaves Ifa on his backside but Mathlouthi is off his line to intercept before the nippy forward can reach it!
    • 45' Maazou latches on to another ball down the left channel, steps inside Haggui and is brought down... No penalty!
    • 34' Maazou sprays a diagonal ball to Boubacar, who turns back inside past his full-back and drills a low strike off the foot of the post! Not sure Mathlouthi would have got there in time.
    • 30' Maazou terrorising the Tunisia defence again. He sprints forward, knocks the ball through two defenders and then beats him to it but can only fire his low shot inches wide of the far post!
    • 17' Great run from Maazou as he latches on to Harouna's through pass fromt he back but he blazes his strike way over the bar from close range! Another sign that the lack of pace in the Tunisia defence is a real weakness.
    • 16' Msakni again with the ball played to feet inside the Niger box, but he has to dig his shot out in a hurry and it curls the wrong side of the far upright!
    • 7' Zouhair Dhaouadi has a strike from range, but it flashes over the bar!
    • 4' GOAL!! NIGER 0-1 TUNISIA!! Youssef Msakni turns around 30 yards from goal and heads for the area. There is a huge gap in the Niger defence for him to exploit and Esperance Sportive midfielder dribvles his way through and side-foots a finish into the far bottom corner!
    • 15:20 Niger: Daouda Kassaly; Jimmy Bulus, Mohamed Chicoto, Koffi Dankwa, Mohamed Soumaila; Abdoul Karim Lancina, Olivier Bonnes, William Tonji Ngounou, Issoufou Boubacar; Yacouba Ali, Moussa Maazou /// Tunisia: Aymen Mathlouthi; Aymen Abdennour, Karim Haggui, Bilel Ifa, Ammar Jemal; Khaled Korbi, Mejdi Traoui, Yassine Chikhaoui, Zouhair Dhaouadi; Amine Chermiti, Youssef Msakni.

Team Line-up & Ratings

  • Niger

    Manager: Harouna Doulla

  • Tunisia

    Manager: Sami Trabelsi

  • Line-up

    Live Team Line-Up

  • Rate Players

    Rate Players

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    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      5.6 6
      Defenders
      Substitution Out90′ 5.7 4
      5.2 6
      5.5 5
      6.2 6
      Midfielders
      4.6 6
      5.3 6
      Yellow Card 5.7 7
      Strikers
      Substitution Out84′ 6.4 6
      Goal Substitution Out70′ 7 7
      7.3 7
      Subs
      Substitution In84′ 7 -
      Substitution In70′ 4 6
      Substitution In90′ - -
    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      6.8 5
      Defenders
      Yellow Card 5.5 5
      Yellow Card 5.4 6
      5.9 6
      6.4 5
      Midfielders
      7.4 6
      Yellow Card 6.9 5
      Substitution Out50′ 6.6 6
      Substitution Out66′ 6.1 6
      Strikers
      Goal 7.8 8
      Substitution Out45′ 5.6 6
      Subs
      Substitution In45′ Goal 7.2 7
      Substitution In66′ 4.7 6
      Substitution In50′ 7.4 6

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