AFCON 2023: 'Swaggering' Bafana Bafana See Off Tunisia with Subdued Draw to Reach Last 16

• Bafana Bafana got the job done against Tunisia with an impressive level of style
• The Carthage Eagles were limited to optimistic crosses into an impenetrable box
• South Africa finished second in the group after a draw between Mali and Namibia

Tunisia's AFCON 2023 hopes have faded with an agitated whimper.

Bafana Bafana executed their game plan to perfection, sometimes looking surprised at how easy it was to keep out the continent's third-ranked team.

The result gave South Africa second place in the group and they will next face Morocco in the Round of 16.

South Africa went into the game with the same starting XI that dismantled Namibia, while Tunisia dropped their main attacking threat, Youssef Msakni.

Needing just a draw, Hugo Broos' team showed little adventure and focused more on their defensive structure to gauge the Carthage Eagles' threat.

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The North Africans targeted the spaces behind Khuliso Mudau and Aubrey Modiba but Bafana were comfortable letting Tunisia knock the ball into the box with more hope than actual threat.

South Africa managed the first 20 minutes well and a heat map of the match would show the game was played around the corners of either 18-yard area.

With 25 minutes played, Tunisia had their best chance, but it was weakly headed wide by Elias Achouri. The attempt was in keeping with his team's performance, as any promising field position was foiled by poor execution.

Bafana Bafana grew more comfortable with the blunt threat of their opponents and as they became aware of their dominance, they had to restrain themselves from exuberant showboating, sauntering into the break level.

Nyiko Mobbie came on for Mudau after the break and Tunisia brought on Msakni within five minutes, but the second half followed a similar trajectory as the first.

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Themba Zwane was supremely composed, often looking as if he was hypnotising the opposition's midfield with every twist and turn.

Percy Tau was equally effective, guilty only of holding onto possession instead of pressing home numerical advantages on the counter-attack.

Haythem Jouini could have stolen the show with two minutes to go but couldn't keep his unmarked header down from five yards.

That began a nervy closing minutes but the Carthage Eagles could not carve out another chance and exited AFCON 2023.

Jean-Louis Gasset sacked

Sports Brief recently reported on Ivory Coast boss, Jean-Louis Gasset being fired from his position.

The Frenchman becomes one of the few coaches to ever get the boot in the middle of a tournament.

Ivory Coast are still in AFCON despite a poor outing, qualifying among the best third-placed teams.