Second-half surge buries Equatorial Guinea

A tight game cracked open the moment Naim Sliti took charge. Tunisia’s winger scored one and made two as the Carthage Eagles thumped Equatorial Guinea 4-0 in their Africa Cup of Nations Group J opener at the Stade Olympique de Rades, a result that neatly doubles as a tune-up for Qatar 2022.

The first half was sticky. Tunisia had more of the ball but looked short of rhythm, rushing decisions in the final third. Equatorial Guinea sat deep, shuffled well, and waited for mistakes. When Sliti had a goal chalked off early in the second half for an infringement, you wondered if frustration would creep in.

It didn’t. On 56 minutes, a deep cross made its way to the back post, where Sliti muscled past his marker and drilled a low finish into the far corner. It was a hard, clean strike, and it changed the temperature of the night.

Equatorial Guinea’s task got even tougher with 19 minutes left when substitute Joan Lopez Elo collected a second yellow card. Down to 10, they couldn’t keep the line intact. Tunisia sensed it and went for the jugular.

On 77 minutes, Sliti turned provider, hanging a precise cross that begged to be attacked. Seifeddine Jaziri obliged with a powerful header. The noise in Rades shifted from relief to celebration, and Tunisia didn’t let up.

Youssef Msakni, coming off the bench with fresh legs and veteran craft, added a sharp third on 80 minutes and then a calm fourth at 85, the kind of late brace that underlines game management and depth. The scoreline felt emphatic because the finish was ruthless.

• 56' — Sliti puts Tunisia 1-0 up with a low finish at the back post.
• 71' — Equatorial Guinea’s Joan Lopez Elo sent off (second yellow).
• 77' — Jaziri heads in Sliti’s pinpoint cross for 2-0.
• 80' — Msakni comes on and scores for 3-0.
• 85' — Msakni adds another to make it 4-0.

Beyond the goals, the pattern told its own story. Tunisia started narrow, then widened their attacks after the break, dragging Equatorial Guinea out of shape. Sliti floated into pockets and ran at tired legs. Fullbacks got higher, the midfield tempo kicked up, and the final pass started to land. Once the red card came, the gaps were too big to cover.

This was not a collapse from a poor team. Equatorial Guinea were quarterfinalists at the last AFCON and know how to scrap on the road. Early on, they disrupted passes and forced Tunisia into safer options. But chasing the ball a man down at Rades, against finishers in form, is a hard shift for anyone.

What it means for Tunisia’s AFCON and World Cup plans

Group J is no stroll. It includes Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Botswana, and Libya, with the top two qualifying for the next AFCON in Ivory Coast. Beating a direct rival by four puts Tunisia in control after matchday one and sends a message about their margin for error.

It also feeds directly into the bigger picture. This is one of four games in a busy block for Tunisia before the World Cup. Botswana are up next in another qualifier, followed by the Kirin Cup in Japan against Chile and then either Ghana or Japan. That mix—African intensity and diverse styles in Asia—should sharpen the team’s edges before November.

The takeaways are practical. Sliti’s influence is growing, not just as a dribbler but as a decision-maker in the final pass. Jaziri’s timing in the box gives Tunisia a different route to goal when crosses are on. Msakni, still the heartbeat when he’s fit, can come on and kill games with cleaner touches and late runs. The spine looked balanced, and the bench delivered.

There are caveats. The first-half tempo needs to be cleaner against stronger opponents, where a slow start is harder to repair. Defensive transitions weren’t heavily tested after the red card, so that chapter remains open. But in terms of rhythm, intensity, and end product, this was the kind of night any coach wants in June: a slow burner that finishes with a knockout.

At home in Rades, Tunisia found what they were missing in the opening 45 minutes—width, patience, and direct runs behind the line. Once they found that, Equatorial Guinea couldn’t live with the pace or the delivery. A 4-0 win, a lead in Group J, and more minutes banked before the World Cup. Not a bad night’s work.