If Benjamin Nygren thought he had it bad, then it’s far worse for his Celtic teammate, Sebastian Tounekti, at this summer’s World Cup.
Nygren started as Sweden were beaten 5-1 by the Netherlands on Saturday, but hours later, Tounekti and his Tunisia side bowed out of the world stage.
The decision comes after Tunisia parted ways with their head coach following a disastrous opening World Cup loss to Nygren’s Sweden, where they conceded five goals.
Unfortunately, their defensive woes continued under his successor, Hervé Renard, as they subsequently shipped another four against Japan – this time Tounekti started.
Still, the Celtic man failed to make an impact and was subbed off after an hour.
Does Sebastian Tounekti have a future beyond this season at Celtic?
How Sebastian Tounekti rated as Tunisian media slam ‘humiliating’ World Cup exit
There is a Celtic theme to World Cup Group F, with Nygren, Tounekti and Maeda all bunched together.
That’s not mentioning the Netherlands, who would have been the favourite to progress and top the group before a ball was kicked.
With many backing a vibrant, all-action Japan side as one of the tournament’s dark horses, few expected Tunisia to progress anyway. Ultimately, it’s not about the exit itself, but the manner of it.
What is perhaps lucky for Tounekti is the fact that his media back home are focusing more on the collective rather than individuals.
The Celtic winger wasn’t singled out, as Tunisian media outlet Tunisienumeriqu stated: ‘Tunisian football: the problem doesn’t begin with the national team.’
Another outlet, Kawarji stated that Tunisia were ‘humiliated’ by Japan, while Assabahnews didn’t hold back by calling it ‘shameful’ and questioned the team’s ‘national pride.’
Nonetheless, Sofascore provided Tounekti with a 6.3 rating for his performance on the World Cup stage against Japan:
- Minutes played: 64
- Touches: 16
- Unsuccessful touches: 2
- Possession lost: 7
- Total shots: 0
- Accurate crosses: 0/2
- Passes in the opposition half: 3/3
- Carries: 1
- Recoveries: 1
- Sofascore rating: 6.4
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