Tunisia is set to clash with Japan in a landmark match, marking the 1000th game in World Cup history. This encounter is part of the second stage of Group F and will take place at 7:00 AM local time, officiated by Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs.
Both teams are eager to secure their first victory in the tournament. Tunisia suffered a heavy 1-5 defeat to Sweden in their opening match, leading to the historic dismissal of their coach, Sabri Lamouchi, who became the first manager to be fired after just one World Cup match. Hervé Renard has taken over the coaching position, having previously managed Saudi Arabia during the Qatar World Cup.
Japan, on the other hand, began their campaign with a thrilling 2-2 draw against the Netherlands, managing to equalize twice during the match.
In the earlier match of the second group stage on Saturday evening, the Netherlands triumphed over Sweden with a score of 5-1.
LIVE at 7:00 AM » Tunisia vs Japan
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Tunisia vs Japan Starting Line-ups
Tunisia: Dahmen – Rekik, Talbi, Bronn – Valery, Skhiri, Mejbri, Abdi – Saad, Slimane, Tounekti
Substitutes: Achouri, Arous, Ayari, Belhadj, Hamida, Hessen, Ouanes, Chamakh, Chaouat, Chikhaoui, Elloumi, Gharbi, Khedira, Mastouri, Neffati
Coach: Hervé Renard
Japan: Suzuki – Tomiyasu, Itakura, H. Ito – Doan, Sano, Kamada, Nakamura – J. Ito, Ueda, Tanaka
Substitutes: Goto, Hayakawa, Maeda, Nagatomo, Ogawa, Osako, Seko, Shiogai, Sugawara, Suzuki, Taniguchi, Watanabe
Coach: Hajime Moriyasu
Stadium: Estadio BBVA (Monterrey, Mexico)
Referee: Istvan Kovacs
Throughout this century, Tunisia and Japan have faced each other four times, with Japan winning three matches and Tunisia securing one victory. The last encounter in the World Cup group stage was in 2002, where Japan won 2-0.
Istvan Kovacs Leads Referee Delegation for Historic Match
Istvan Kovacs, aged 41, is the only Romanian referee at this World Cup held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. He will officiate his first match of the tournament today.
Kovacs will be assisted by linesmen Mihai Marica and Ferencz Tunyogi. Although this is his second World Cup appearance, following his participation in Qatar 2022, this match will mark his debut as the central referee in this prestigious competition.
During the Qatar tournament, Kovacs served as the fourth official for eight matches but did not officiate as the main referee.
The Carei native will don a special uniform adorned with golden stripes for the match at Estadio BBVA, a design presented by FIFA’s refereeing chief, the legendary Italian Pierluigi Collina.
Group F Standings
