Tunisia Thrashed 5-1 by Sweden, Federation Considers Sacking Lamouchi Before Second Match

Tunisia suffered its worst opening match in World Cup history, losing 5-1 to Sweden in Monterrey, and manager Sabri Lamouchi may not survive the setback: according to Radio Mosaïque, an emergency meeting has been requested by members of the Tunisian Football Federation’s board, and his departure could be confirmed before the second match against Japan on Sunday.

Tunisian media described the Eagles’ performance as “Tunisia’s worst opening match performance in World Cup history.” On X, reactions were immediate and unforgiving, with widespread calls for the Franco-Tunisian coach to resign. Should Lamouchi be removed, Wahbi Khazri is being considered to take charge of the team for the remainder of the tournament.

Speaking to cameras after the match, Lamouchi chose to highlight his players’ individual errors rather than question his tactical choices. “Individual quality made the difference,” he said. “We made individual mistakes that the Swedes exploited to score. We came back and narrowed the gap just before half-time (2-1), then we started the second half well without managing to capitalize on our dominance. In the World Cup, nothing is forgiven. We must reduce errors and address our tactical shortcomings. We need better cohesion between the three lines, and that’s what we lacked today. Sweden was superior.”

The sporting situation is already critical: after this opening defeat, Tunisia must still face Japan on Sunday, then the Netherlands in its third and final group match. Meanwhile, other African nations have made better starts to their World Cup: Morocco held Brazil to a draw, while Côte d’Ivoire dominated Ecuador (1-0).