Tunisia
Today's Talking Points
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1Tunisia's World Cup ended where it usually does — the group stage — after a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands in their final match, following losses to Sweden and Japan. It's Tunisia's seventh World Cup appearance and they still haven't got out of the group at any of them, so this was disappointing rather than shocking.
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2There wasn't really a high point on the scoreline, but there's a human one worth mentioning: captain Ellyes Skhiri held the midfield together all tournament even as things fell apart around him, and Elias Achouri kept trying to make things happen going forward against difficult opposition. Small credit in a rough few weeks.
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3The turning point came early — a 5-1 defeat to Sweden was heavy enough that manager Sabri Lamouchi was sacked mid-tournament. His replacement, Herve Renard, couldn't turn things around before a 4-0 loss to Japan all but ended things. A tournament that unravels fast is hard to watch, but it happens to plenty of teams — no need to pile on.
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4Hannibal Mejbri, the 23-year-old midfielder who came through Manchester United's academy, was tipped as Tunisia's most exciting player coming in and showed flashes of the close control and directness that got people talking about him. Worth mentioning if you want to sound like you know the squad beyond the results.
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5Tunisia go home with three defeats and a coaching change, but a golden generation of Achouri, Mejbri and Skhiri is still young enough to try again in four years. Sometimes the kindest thing you can say about a rough tournament is that at least it's over.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Tunisia's tournament fell apart fast — a manager sacked after one game, three defeats, done by matchday three — but they're a team that keeps qualifying, which still counts for something.
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Avoid saying
"They were never any good anyway" — steer clear of that. It was a bad few weeks for a team that's been to seven World Cups, not evidence of anything permanent, and there's no need to kick a team while it's down.