SARANSK, Russia: Tunisia captain Wahbi Khazri and Fakhreddine Ben Youssef ensured their nation’s World Cup slump wouldn’t enter a fifth decade.
Khazri’s hard, rising shot in the 66th minute lifted Tunisia to a 2-1 triumph over Panama on Thursday night. It came about 15 minutes after the Rennes striker’s pinpoint pass produced Ben Youssef’s equalizer on a redirection off of his right instep.
“We wanted to snatch the victory and I wanted to score and I did,” Ben Youssef said. “This is great day for Tunisia.”
Panama is still looking for a maiden World Cup victory — or draw, for that matter. But it took its first ever lead in World Cup play in the 33rd minute through an own-goal when Jose Luis Rodriguez’s hard, left-footed shot deflected off of Tunisia’s Yassine Meriah.
Both Group G teams were already eliminated going into the match. Tunisia hadn’t won a World Cup game since a 3-1 victory over Mexico in 1978. The Carthage Eagles then failed to win any of their next 13 World Cup matches, a streak that ended in somewhat expected fashion.
“When we landed in this group we knew very well that our best hope was to come third in this group,” Tunisia coach Nabil Maaloul said.
Tunisia looked more competitive in losses to England and Belgium than Panama. Tunisia nearly earned a draw with England, but lost on a late goal by Harry Kane.
Tunisia also has more accomplished club professionals in its squad, but it was missing several players because of injuries.
In addition to dealing with the absence of defender Dylan Bronn, Tunisia had to start 33-year-old third-choice goalkeeper Aymen Mathlouthi because its other keepers were injured.
“Thanks to our goalkeeper, we didn’t concede many goals and we got the three points,” Maaloul said. “This is what matters.”
Statistically, Panama was the worst performer in this World Cup, but coach Hernan Gomez took issue with one reporter suggesting his team was the worst in tournament.
“Please don’t call us the worst team. We are not the worst team. We are a team that is learning and growing,” Gomez said. “You need to respect our team much more. You cannot call us the worst team. That is a lack of respect.”
The first two goals of the match were milestones of sorts in the World Cup, which dates to 1930.
The goal that gave Panama a 1-0 halftime lead was the 50th own-goal in all World Cups.
Meriah had turned his body to block Rodriguez’s shot and ended up sending it inside the far post after Mathlouthi had already started moving the other way.
The goal came against the run of play. Tunisia dominated the match with 64-percent possession and finished with 15 shots to Panama’s nine.
But it didn’t take long for Tunisia to equalize on what was somewhat of a World Cup milestone, the 2,500th goal in the history of the tournament, which dates to 1930.
Seattle Sounders defender Roman Torres helped set up the opening goal with a composed, accurate pass from the top of the area back and toward the middle of the field to Rodriguez.
In the second half, however, he was forced out of the game with an apparent left leg injury after getting tangled up with Khazri as the two pursued the ball near the Panama penalty area.
He limped off the field after the game, and it remains to be seen how it affects his availability when he returns to the
The victory provided a measure of vindication for Maaloul, who led the team to the World Cup by infusing his lineups with younger players.
He didn’t directly address a question about his coaching future after the match, but has defended his record — citing recent qualification to the World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations — and said the position means a lot to him.
“We had to face Belgium and England. The Tunisian squad gave a good performance,” Maaloul said. “My players played their hearts out in all three performances.”
Tunisia reflect on a ‘great day’ as they celebrate first World Cup win since 1978
Tunisia reflect on a ‘great day’ as they celebrate first World Cup win since 1978
- Tunisia beat Panama 2-1 in Saransk
- 'My players played their hearts out in all three performances'
‘We have been empowered’: 2025 SEF Awards shine a light on Saudi Arabia’s rapidly evolving esports sector
- Leading voices from from the Kingdom’s gaming industry share their thoughts on the sector with Arab News at the 6th annual awards ceremony
RIYADH: Esports took center stage in Riyadh on Thursday night as the stars of the past year were honored at the SEF Awards 2025 in a night of celebration at Boulevard City’s SEF Arena.
While the winners had plenty to celebrate on the night, prior to the ceremony Arab News also chatted with some of the key figures from the Saudi Esports Federation to discuss the development of Saudi Arabia’s wider esports landscape and the achievements so far.
Riyadh has in recent years worked to establish itself as a major hub for international esports, hosting annual events such as Gamers8, the Esports World Cup and the FIFAe World Cup among others, and the federation has played a central role in developing and shaping the industry to help achieve this.
Loay Al-Mujadidi, the federation’s chief esports and commercial officer, attributed the growth of the esports industry in Saudi Arabia to several factors, all led by unified national backing for the sector.
“First of all, it comes down to the amazing support from the government,” he said. “We have been empowered with a great deal of resources and entrusted to deliver more.
“And I believe the real driver here is that the Saudi population and the residents here genuinely love gaming.”
This passion for gaming is reflected in the numbers of people in the country involved in esports.
“We have more than 2,300 players registered at the professional level, and last year we witnessed the participation of more than 240,000 students in the School League, as well as 45 universities competing in the University League,” Al-Mujadidi said.
Ibrahim Al-Sheddi, chief shared services officer at the federation, highlighted a cohesive national strategy for esports as a key catalyst for growth.
“When you look at the national strategy of gaming and esports, part of it is to engage with the community and increase the number of participants to enable all talents around the Kingdom to enter the sector,” he said.
“As you know, esports is still considered a niche sector and Saudi Arabia is the only government investing at this scale.”
This investment is already paying dividends, Al-Sheddi said, as Saudi Arabia has one of the most digitally engaged populations in the world.
“When you have 67 percent of the population under 30 identifying as gamers, this provides you with the foundation to transform esports and make it a genuine investment and long-term career path for the talent,” he added.
Al-Mujadidi echoed this assessment, noting that career-development opportunities in esports extend beyond players.
“You now have coaches, referees, casters and analysts,” he said. “There’s a whole adjacent universe being built next to the core of these sports, and we are continuing to work with the Saudi Esports Federation Academy to boost these career paths, and increase them as well.”
These initiatives and opportunities extend to female players, a rapidly growing segment of the global esports industry and one that is increasingly prominent in Saudi Arabia. The federation’s CEO, Rawan Al-Butairi, highlighted this shift and said the organization is taking a structural approach to inclusivity for women.
“Beyond the fundamental role of having a specific genre in our league that truly caters for female players, we have offerings that are part of our academy designed to specifically support them,” she said.
“We also run initiatives where we showcase important female role models, such as Najd Fahad and Modhi Al-Kanhal, and support different clubs to ensure that we do right by the female community.”
Al-Kanhal was one of the standout winners on Thursday night, claiming the Best Female Player award.
Al-Butairi also emphasized youth empowerment as a key pillar for the continued development of esports.
“The youth are the true lifeblood for the growth of this sector and, honestly, they make our role here easier,” she said. “Hence, I think it is a fundamental tool to ensure we grow in a more sustainable way.”
Musaed Al-Dawsari, one of Saudi Arabia’s most accomplished esports competitors and CEO of Team Falcons, which was crowned Best Club during the awards ceremony, echoed the optimism voiced by the federation executives.
“As a gamer, I couldn’t be happier,” he said. “Saudi Arabia wants to be at the center of the esports world, and I think we’ve already reached that point.”
This year marked the sixth annual SEF Awards, organized by the Saudi Esports Federation. The event honored the cream of esports talent across 22 categories, including three that were new this year.
The ceremony also serves as a celebration of the rapidly evolving Saudi esports sector, organizers said, by recognizing the achievements of players, clubs, content creators and the wider community.
