Tunisia put three past South Africa

The 2004 champions move to the top of Group D with a 3-1 win over Bafana Bafana.

Chaouki Ben Saada 309
Chaouki Ben Saada, left, scored Tunisia's second goal in their 3-1 rout of South Africa in Tamale [Reuters]
Dos Santos, a survivor from the 2004 Nations Cup team that gave Tunisia their sole title on home turf, scored in the eighth and 34th minutes with Chaouki Ben Saada claiming a goal for himself in between.
 
Steven Pienaar, South Africa’s Everton star, grabbed a consolation goal three minutes from full-time for the 2010 World Cup hosts, who were brutally exposed at the back and seem destined to make a third consecutive first-round exit from the continental tournament.
 
Success was particularly sweet for Roger Lemerre, Tunisia coach, who endured constant public and media criticism over results and his rotation system in the build-up to the Cup.
 
Yassine Chikhaoui caused endless problems for Bafana Bafana (The Boys), and it came as no surprise when Tunisia moved in front after eight minutes.
 
Ben Saada crossed and Dos Santos sprung the offside trap to head over Moeneeb Josephs, who was retained from the team that held Angola when first choice Rowen Fernandez failed to shake off a hand injury.
 
Josephs was forced into the role of a sweeper as Tunisia continued to trouble the slow South African defenders with swift raids, and the north Africans struck twice within three minutes to take a commanding lead.
 
Dos Santos turns provider
 
Dos Santos hit the post with a low shot that rebounded to the inrushing Ben Saada, who slotted the ball into the net before any South African defender could react.
 
Then, Nasief Morris ‘gifted’ the third goal to Dos Santos, after weakly heading the ball back to his wrong-footed goalkeeper, with the France-based forward rushing in, rounding Josephs, and tapping the ball into the net.
 
South Africa introduced first-round hero Elrio van Heerden at half-time, but Tunisia continued to press forward in search of a fourth goal that would put the result beyond doubt.
 
When Bafana Bafana did create an opening, Germany-based Zuma struck his shot without venom and from too great a distance to trouble the largely idle Kasraoui, before Pienaar snatched a late goal.
 
In the final Group D fixtures on Thursday, Tunisia tackle Angola in a top-of-the-table clash in Tamale, with a draw good enough to send both teams into the quarter-finals at the expense of Senegal and South Africa, who meet in Kumasi.
Source: News Agencies