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In Pictures

Gallery|In Pictures

Australia edge Tunisia to end 12-year wait for World Cup win

Spirited Australia down Tunisia 1-0 at the Al Janoub Stadium and boost their qualification chances.

tunisia vs australia
There was little to celebrate in the end for Tunisian fans, with their team at the bottom of the group. [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
Published On 26 Nov 202226 Nov 2022
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Australia defeated Tunisia 1-0 in their second World Cup match, with Mitchell Duke’s header early in the first half keeping the Socceroos’ hopes of qualification alive in the highly competitive clash.

It was Australia’s first World Cup victory in 12 years and with it, they move up to second in Group D behind reigning champions France.

Striker Duke scored midway through the first half with a glancing header past keeper Aymen Dahmen to give Australia the lead, while Tunisia’s best chance came when skipper Youssef Msakni shot just wide.

The victory, only the third for Australia in six visits to the World Cup, was the perfect response to their 4-1 drubbing at the hands of France on Tuesday.

Tunisia made clear their intentions from the start, ranging five defenders and two holding midfielders across the pitch and inviting the Australians to try to break them down.

Australia had some success getting the ball down the flanks but the final ball into the area rarely got anywhere near a blue shirt as the Tunisian defenders wrapped up the Socceroos’ forwards.

Craig Goodwin’s cross from the left looked to be heading the same way until it took a hefty deflection off a Tunisian defender and looped to Duke, who nodded it into the far right corner of the net.

The goal was the first conceded by Tunisia against any team barring Brazil in their last 11 matches and forced the Tunisians out of their defensive shell.

They brought on the squad’s top scorer, Wahbi Khazri, in the second half as they upped the tempo in search of an equaliser, but the Australian defence stood firm with goalkeeper and skipper Mat Ryan a calming presence at the back.

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The victory snapped Australia’s seven-match winless run at World Cups since they last picked up three points in a victory over Serbia in 2010.

Tunisia vs Australia
Australian fans gather at Al Janoub Stadium in advance of the highly anticipated game against Tunisia. [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
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tunisia vs australia
Tunisian fans drowned out any competitors with their enthusiasm, but their team was, in the end, winless in their opening two games. [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
tunisia vs australia
Tunisian fans wave a Palestinian flag in a strong showing of solidarity during the match. [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
Tunisia vs Australia
Australia's Mitchell Duke scores their first goal, literally heading his country into the lead midway through the first half. [Suhaib Salem/Reuters]
Australia
Australian striker Mitchell Duke celebrates scoring the first goal with Mathew Leckie, his clinical header helping secure three points for the Socceroos. [Hannah Mckay/Reuters]
tunisia vs australia
Tunisia's Aymen Dahmen defends during the game. [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
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tunisia vs australia
The Tunisian team in action - but it wasn't nearly enough. Tunisia are now winless in their opening two games and lie at the bottom of the group. [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
tunisia vs australia
Australia defeated Tunisia 1-0 in their second Qatar World Cup match. [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
Tunisian fans sad while watching the match.
Despondent Tunisian fans cheered and roared, urging their team to push the envelope - but their enthusiasm wasn't enough. [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]


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