Soccer - Tunisia aiming to progress past World Cup group stage - Benalouane

The African nation recorded their first victory in the World Cup finals when they beat Mexico in 1978 but have not won at the tournament since.

Soccer - Tunisia aiming to progress past World Cup group stage - Benalouane

(Reuters)





Having qualified for the finals for the first time since 2006, Tunisia face a tough test in Russia, where they compete against England, Belgium and Panama in Group G.

"The first objective is to get through the first round as it would be amazing for our country. To have a good World Cup with all my team-mates will be a good thing," Leicester City centre back Benalouane told the club's website https://www.lcfc.com.

"For me, it was a big emotion (to play for Tunisia), because to go on the pitch with the shirt of your country, it's always something special. I hope we can do something good for the World Cup."

Benalouane, 31, could face his Leicester team mates Harry Maguire and Jamie Vardy along with several other Premier League rivals when Tunisia kick off their World Cup campaign against England on June 18.

"Obviously, it will be a good game and it's always a pleasure to meet other people from my team in the World Cup. It will be a big challenge for us," he added.

"Vards (Jamie Vardy) is always difficult, because he is an electric man. He is a very good striker, he has top quality, he scores a lot.

"We have to be focused, because we know his quality. I hope, for him, that he has a good World Cup, but not against Tunisia."





(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world