CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Tunisia were handed a relatively easy passage to their fifth World Cup but they went through the African preliminaries with a proficiency that augurs well for next year's finals in Russia. Tunisia were the first African country to win a match at a World Cup tournament – beating Mexico 3-1 in Rosario in 1978 – but in 11 games since at the 1998, 2002 and 2006 finals they have failed to emerge victorious. Tunisia were unbeaten in their qualifying group but the campaign was not without its disruptions. Nabil Maaloul, fired during the abortive 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign, returned and two wins and two draws from their last four group games saw Tunisia win their group by a point from the Congolese. Unlike the other African teams in Russia, Tunisia still draw the bulk of their players from the domestic league.

Source: The Star November 23, 2017 00:00 UTC