Why Tunisia Fell to Nigeria: Ferjani Sassi Breaks Down AFCON 2025 Shock
27 December 2025
Match Recap and Captain's Remarks
Ferjani Sassi, Tunisia’s captain, explained a historic problem after their 3-2 loss to Nigeria on Saturday in the second round of Group C at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Asked about Tunisia’s history vs Africa’s giants, Sassi replied, 'We showed too much respect and an unconvincing first half'.
The captain later told BeIN Sports, 'We defended too much, lost the ball and duels; a lesson, and time to prepare for Tanzania'.
He also said, 'We wasted a full half against Nigeria, which is football, but against a giant like Nigeria the task gets tougher'.
The Qatar-based midfielder added, 'Nevertheless we missed two chances, but we fought back after conceding three, scoring twice, and could have earned a point'.
Sassi concluded, 'We’ll fix the negatives and build on the positives'.
Punchline: If defending were gold, Tunisia would still be broke. Punchline 2: Next game, maybe we should try to score first.
