Buoyant Angola hold Tunisia in epic AFCON Group E clash
- Youssef M'Sakni scored Tunisia's opener in the 34th minute from the penalty spot
- Djalma Campos restored parity for Angola in the second half
- The two sides have been pooled in Group E which include Mali and Mauritania
A buoyant Angola side on Monday, June 24, kept their hopes of qualifying for the next stage of the Africa Cup of Nations alive after forcing Tunisia to a 1-1 draw in their Group E encounter played at Suez Sports Stadium in Egypt.
Tunisia got their finals campaign underway in Ismailia with every reason to be confident after defeating World Cup finalists Croatia 2-1 in their penultimate warm-up game.
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However, their opponents went on to stage a brave show, fending off several advances and threats made in their penalty area in the opening exchanges.
But that did not last long as Youssef M'Sakni broke the deadlock in the 34th minute, gifting The Eagles of Carthage the lead from the penalty spot after Angola's Troco fouled Naïm Sliti in the dangerous area.
The Sable Antelopes struggled to settle in soon after conceding the penalty, with Tunisia forcing them to change tact and approach until the break.
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In the second half, Angola kept mounting more pressure on their opponents in such of the equaliser, but Tunisia's clinical backline kept them at bay.
However, in the 64th minute, Djalma Campos restored parity, capitalising on Farouk Mustapha's goalkeeping gaffe to make it 1-1.
Subsequent efforts by both sides in search of a winner proved futile, with Wahbi Khazri wasting Tunisia's glorious chance in the dying minutes of the match.
The two teams eventually shared the spoils and will now be seeking to get maximum points in their next group matches against Mali and Mauritania for a chance to progress to the next stage of the tournament.
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