Tunisia Fires Lamouchi After Crushing World Cup Loss
The Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) has dismissed head coach Sabri Lamouchi following his team's humiliating 1-5 defeat to Sweden in their opening Group F match at the FIFA World Cup. The decision was announced yesterday, making Lamouchi the first coach to be sacked in this year's tournament.
The FTF acted swiftly after just one match, citing the need to rescue their campaign after the heavy loss. This marks one of the quickest managerial changes in recent World Cup history, as officials opted for an immediate reset to revive their group stage hopes.
Sweden's victory propelled them to the top of Group F at Monterrey Stadium, while Tunisia languishes at the bottom with a goal difference of minus four. Defensive errors proved costly for the Carthage Eagles: goalkeeper Mouhib Chamakh misjudged a clearance leading to the opening goal, and captain Ellyes Skhiri's mistake contributed to another Swedish strike.
Yasin Ayari scored twice for Sweden, with Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres also among the scorers in a dominant performance. Tunisia pulled one back before half-time through Omar Rekik, offering a brief lifeline. However, Sweden restored control in the second half, adding further goals through substitute Mattias Svanberg and Ayari's second strike to seal a comprehensive win.
Lamouchi described the defeat as 'difficult' and 'painful,' acknowledging that Tunisia made 'too many mistakes' in the opening fixture. The loss puts Tunisia under immense pressure ahead of their next Group F match against Japan, while Sweden prepares to face the Netherlands.
