Panama v Tunisia

Published on: 27 June 2018

Panama

Felipe Baloy scored the first World Cup finals goal in Panama's history in their 6-1 loss to EnglandBBC coverage

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TEAM NEWS

Tunisia will have to use their third different goalkeeper in the tournament in their final match against Panama.

Mouez Hassen suffered a shoulder injury against England in their first game and Farouk Ben Mustapha, who played against Belgium, injured his knee in training.

That leaves Aymen Mathlouthi as the only available keeper in their squad.

Panama will have to make at least two changes from the side that lost 6-1 to England on Sunday as Michael Murillo and Armando Cooper are both suspended.

Tunisia will also be without central defender Dylan Bronn, who was carried off with a left knee injury after scoring in the 5-2 loss to Belgium on Saturday.

MATCH PREVIEW

Both sides are already eliminated after two defeats each and Panama need to win to avoid finishing bottom of Group G in their first appearance at a World Cup finals.

Panama have conceded the most goals in this tournament as a 3-0 loss to Belgium was followed by the heavy defeat by England, although Felipe Baloy made history by becoming the first Panamanian player to score at a finals.

Tunisia will regret conceding a last-minute goal to Harry Kane as England won 2-1 in their opener, before the African side were outclassed by Belgium.

This was their first appearance at a finals since 2006 and they have maintained their unwelcome run of never making it out of the group phase. However, they will be confident of recording only their second World Cup victory, with their previous win being a 3-1 success over Mexico in 1978.

Tunisia are 21st in the world rankings, while Panama are down in 55th as they look for their first World Cup victory after their shock qualification, which pushed the United States out of contention in October.

VIEWS FROM BOTH CAMPS

Panama coach Hernan Dario Gomez said Panama had learned some harsh lessons and should use the tournament as a foundation for improvement.

He said: "I've really enjoyed watching the games at this World Cup and been very, very happy to be here. It's just such a pity that we've been knocked out.

"We are making history. We can be an example. We can leave a legacy for Panama in the future.

"It's pivotal to be at a World Cup. It's one of the most wonderful things that can happen in your career."

Tunisia coach Nabil Maaloul said Arab soccer still had a lot of catching up to do to present a challenge at the highest level after themselves, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Egypt all failed to reach the next stage in Russia.

Maaloul said: "We need two more generations to reach (the top) level of performance in terms of fitness and physical strength. We are far from the required level."

Captain Wahbi Khazri also said the gap between European and Arab teams was too wide. "The level was too high, too elevated over the two games," Khazri said.

MATCH FACTS Head-to-head

    This will be the first meeting between Panama and Tunisia.

Panama

    Panama have conceded nine goals from 13 shots on target faced so far at the World Cup. The last time a nation lost their first three World Cup games in their history - as Panama could do - was in 2006, with both Togo and Serbia doing so. In their last game against England, Panama's Felipe Baloy scored his country's first World Cup goal, at the age of 37 years and 120 days.

Tunisia

    Tunisia are winless in their last 13 World Cup matches (drew four, lost nine) since winning their first ever World Cup match in 1978 against Mexico. Tunisia have already conceded more goals at this World Cup (seven) than they did in any of their previous four tournaments; their previous high was six conceded in 2006. Tunisia's only ever World Cup victory came in their only previous match against a North/Central American nation - beating Mexico 3-1 in 1978. Tunisia faced 12 shots on target in their 5-2 defeat to Belgium, the most they have ever faced in a World Cup game. No player has been involved in more World Cup goals for Tunisia than Wahbi Khazri (two), who both scored and assisted in their 5-2 defeat against Belgium.

Source: bbc.com

Source: bbc.com

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