The 1978 edition of the was a historic event for Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles, not least because it was their debut in the final competition. Abdelmajid Chetali’s squad, mainly made up of home-based players, had booked their ticket to Argentina by beating Egypt 4-1 in front of more than 42,000 people in Tunis in December 1977.
The Tunisians – the fourth African team to reach the World Cup after Egypt in 1934, Morocco in 1970 and Zaire (now Congo DR) in 1974 – were placed in a tough group alongside defending champions West Germany as well as Poland and Mexico.
Tunisia goalscorers: Ali Kaabi (55), Nejib Ghommidh (79), Mokhtar Dhouieb (87) Mexico goalscorer: Arturo Vazquez Ayala (45 pen)
The closing stages of the first half were cruel for Tunisia. The Carthage Eagles had held their own, but just as the referee was about to blow for half-time, Mexico were awarded a penalty after a handball in the area. Mexican captain Arturo Vázquez Ayala kept his cool, slotting the ball low to Mokhtar Naili’s left.
Captain Temime Lahzami and his team-mates did not throw in the towel, however, and ten minutes into the second half, Ali Kaabi finished off a counter-attack by bending the ball into the bottom right corner and past Jose Pilar Reyes. Unshackled and now increasingly dominant, the Tunisians took the lead through Nejib Ghommidh, and sealed all three points with a late strike from the marauding Mokhtar Dhouieb. It was a historic night in Rosario: the first victory for an African side at the World Cup.
The Carthage Eagles began to dream of a place in the second group stage, but their win in Rosario was followed by a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Poland and a goalless draw with West Germany. Tunisia’s debut World Cup campaign had been bright, but it was not enough to seal a spot in the last eight and they had to settle for third place in the group.
Nevertheless, their win over Mexico undoubtedly marked a turning point in the history of African football, and by the time Spain ’82 came around, Africa had a second slot at the tournament.
It also paved the way for some of the great African sides that followed, such as Cameroon, who reached the last eight in 1990 before losing 3-2 to England after extra time, and the Moroccan side that became the first African semi-finalists in Qatar in 2022.
Sources: FIFA Official
