Tunisia has set its sights on reaching the knock-out stages of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history when the tournament gets underway in Russia, defender Yohan Benalouane said.
The North African nation recorded their first victory in the World Cup finals when they beat Mexico in 1978, but have never won at the tournament since.
Having qualified for the finals for the first time since 2006, Tunisia faces an uphill task in Russia, where they will compete with England, Belgium and Panama for a place in the knock-out stages.
“The first objective is to get through the first round as it would be amazing for our country. To have a good World Cup with all my team-mates will be a good thing,” Leicester City centre back Benalouane told the club’s website www.lcfc.com.
“For me, it was a big emotion (to play for Tunisia), because to go on the pitch with the shirt of your country, it’s always something special. I hope we can do something good for the World Cup,” he added.
The Eagles of carthage will play their first game of the tournament against England on 18 June.
Benalouane may go up against his Leicester team mates Jamie Vardy and Harry Maguire, along with several other Premier League rivals he’s familiar with.
“Obviously, it will be a good game and it’s always a pleasure to meet other people from my team in the World Cup. It will be a big challenge for us,” he added.
The other African teams headed to the World Cup are Senegal, Egypt, Nigeria and Morocco.
