Tunisia coach Jalel Kadri said the team takes responsibility for their underwhelming performance at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d'Ivoire.
The North Africans who needed to beat South Africa on Wednesday to qualify to the round of 16, produced a lackluster performance for a scoreless draw that led to their elimination from the 34th edition of the tournament.
The result saw South Africa secure their place in the next round. The 1996 champions advance to the knockout stages for the first time since the 2019 edition held in Egypt.
“We apologize to the Tunisian people. Football is like this sometimes. You need luck. In respect of the Tunisian people, we apologies for this result,” Kadri said.
Kadri said they faced the challenge of breaking down Bafana Bafana's solid defense.
“It was clear that the team tried their best. Despite the defeat, we gave it our best. During the first half, we tried but couldn’t break them," Kadri said.
The coach also said poor finishing was to blame for the dismal show.
"We saw some weaknesses in their attack and tried to win. We were not so productive. We had tactical problems in the first game, but we must take responsibility for this defeat”.
Tunisia finished bottom of Group E with two points. Mali topped the group despite their scoreless draw with Namibia in San Pedro.
Namibia advanced as third third-best finisher after mastering four points.
