Road to Qatar: how Tunisia qualified for World Cup 2022


John McAuley
  • English
  • Arabic

Entering African qualification in the second round, Tunisia began well with three wins from three before a draw in Mauritania and defeat in Equatorial Guinea threatened to stunt their campaign.

However, they rebounded to win their final match, a comfortable 3-1 home win against Zambia, to finish the group as winners, two points above Equatorial Guinea.

It left Tunisia with all to play for in the third round, where the 10 group winners faced off in March over two legs, home and away. In the end, Tunisia scraped past Mali 1-0 on aggregate, thanks to a Moussa Sissako own goal in the first leg in Bamako.

Qualification did still see a change in manager, with Mondher Kebaier ousted following the Eagles of Carthage's quarter-final exit of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in January. He was replaced by Jalel Kadri, who guided his country through the play-off.

Wahbi Khazri was Tunisia’s top scorer in qualification, with three goals.

In Qatar, Tunisia have been drawn in Group D, alongside France, Australia and Denmark.

Tunisia’s fixtures in Qatar

November 22 Denmark v Tunisia – Education City Stadium (5pm)

November 26 Tunisia v Australia – Al Janoub Stadium (2pm)

November 30 Tunisia v France – Education City Stadium (7pm)

Qualifying results

Second round (Group B)

September 3, 2021: Tunisia 3 (Bronn 54' Skhiri 78', Khazri pen 82') Equatorial Guinea 0

September 7, 2021: Zambia 0 Tunisia 2 (Khazri pen 8', Simane 90+2')

October 7, 2021: Tunisia 3 (Skhiri 15', Khazri 42', Jazuri 86') Mauritania 0

October 10, 2021: Mauritania 0-0 Tunisia

November 13, 2021 Equatorial Guinea 1 (Ganet 84') Tunisia 0

November 16, 2021: Tunisia 3 (Laidouni 18', Drager 31', Maaloul 43') Zambia 1 (Sakala 80')

Third-round

First leg: March 29 2022: Tunisia 0-0 Mali

Second leg: March 26, 2022: Mali 0 Tunisia 1 (Sissako og 36'). Tunisia win 1-0 on aggregate

Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites

The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.

It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.

“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.

The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

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Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
 

UAE squad v Australia

Rohan Mustafa (C), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Fahad Nawaz, Amjed Gul, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Muhammad Naveed, Amir Hayat, Ghulam Shabir (WK), Qadeer Ahmed, Tahir Latif, Zahoor Khan

The biog

Name: Sarah Al Senaani

Age: 35

Martial status: Married with three children - aged 8, 6 and 2

Education: Masters of arts in cultural communication and tourism

Favourite movie: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

Favourite hobbies: Art and horseback ridding

Occupation: Communication specialist at a government agency and the owner of Atelier

Favourite cuisine: Definitely Emirati - harees is my favourite dish

If you go...

Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.

Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50

FA Cup quarter-final draw

The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March

Sheffield United v Arsenal

Newcastle v Manchester City

Norwich v Derby/Manchester United

Leicester City v Chelsea

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

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5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
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Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year

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match info

Athletic Bilbao 1 (Muniain 37')

Atletico Madrid 1 (Costa 39')

Man of the match  Iker Muniain (Athletic Bilbao)

Updated: September 28, 2022, 8:52 AM`