FRANCE 98 – Match Summary n°31
Ageing Colombian veteran Carlos Valderrama masterminded a last gasp 1-0 victory against Tunisia in his side’s Group G match here on Monday evening. After surving a torrid second half Colombia suddenly struck to deliver the killer blow in the 83rd minute.
Like all their serious attacks, it was Valderrama at the heart of it. The 36-year-old broke the Tunisian defence with a perfectly weighted pass to substitute Leider Preciado who held off two defenders before firing past Chokri El Ouaer, who got a hand to the ball but was unable to stop it.
Valderrama was ecstatic. ” The important thing was to win. I don’t care whether we deserved it or not. There is one winner in football and tonight that’s us. “ It was heartache for Tunisia who had created more than enough chances in either half to have put the game out of reach of the lack-lustre Colombians.
Tunisian coach Henry Kasperczak knew it. ” The team played to its potential but were unlucky, “ he said. ” We deserved to win. But it’s a pity we didn’t make the most of it after creating some good chances. ” After two defeats, the challenge for us now is to try to keep our confidence. If Romania lose against England we still have a chance of qualifying for the next round, “ he said.
Colombian coach Hernan Gomez admitted it was a tough match. ” There were a lot of mistakes from both sides which I put down to the heat. We worked hard for this win but we lacked precision. We upped the tempo late in the second half and that’s where our hard work paid off. It was a triumph for team spirit and now we are ready for England in our next match, “ he said.
The South Americans, who started as if they could stoll through the match, could have been a goal down within minutes when defender Tarek Thabet struck a long floating cross from the right to striker Mehdi Ben Slimane waiting on the far post. The 24-year-old headed the ball hard and low but Colombian keeper Faris Mondragon just managed to get a hand to it. The ball came back off the post and was hooked away out of danger.
Despite the constant danger from the fast running Tunisians, Colombia only showed flashes of the brilliance that had made them strong favourites four years ago in the United States. Valderrama set up a golden chance in the 22nd minute when he sent Jose Santa rushing down the left wing. The 27-year-old flighted a perfect center to Wilmer Cabrera whose header forced a superb save from El Ouaer.
It was Valderrama again at the heart of another opportunity when his swinging free-kick was headed off the bar by Adolfo Valencia. But it was Tunisia who had the better chances. Adel Sellimi found himself free in the area and only some quick thinking by Mondragon, who rushed off his line to hook the ball off the Tunisian’s toe, saved Colombia’s embarrassment.
Their exertions at the end of the first-half seemed to tell on the South Americans after the interval and it was Tunisia who took up the initiative. Skander Souayah worked himself a position to set up Mehdi Ben Slimane 10 yards out but the striker’s fierce shot cannoned away off Mondragon’s knee. Mondragon brought off two amazing saves from headers by Souayah and Ben Slimane.
Tunisia’s Polish coach Henry Kasperczak had made four changes to the team, which lost 2-0 to England in their opening match. Kasperczak brought in defenders Tarek Thabet and Ferid Chouchane and midfield duo Riadh Bouazizi and Zoubeir Baya in place of Mounir Boukadida, Hatem Trabelsi, Kaies Godhbane and Khaled Badra.
Colombia, beaten 1-0 by Romania in their first match, called up the striking duo of Anthony De Avila and Adolfo Valencia to replace Faustino Asprilla, thrown out of the team last week, and Victor Aristizabal.