Tunisia beat Panama for first World Cup win in 40 years

Tunisia claimed their first win at the World Cup for 40 years as a second-half fightback saw them beat Panama 2-1 in Saransk.

Panama brightened up a drab first half when José Luis Rodríguez’s 20-yard shot deflected off Yassine Meriah and wrong-footed Aymen Mathlouthi in the Tunisia goal.

It was officially credited as a Meriah own goal but Tunisia were level six minutes into the second half as Fakhreddine Ben Youssef turned home Wahbi Khazri’s cross for the 2,500th goal in World Cup finals history.

Khazri, the Sunderland forward, then scored from close range after 66 minutes to secure Tunisia’s first victory at a World Cup since beating Mexico in 1978.

After losing their first two games in their first appearance in the finals, Panama had gone into the match hoping for a win against Tunisia, who had also lost their first two games in Russia.

After they had fallen behind in the dead rubber it was a slick passing move that concluded with Khazri, who spent part of last season on loan at Rennes, sliding a perfect pass across the face of goal for Ben Youssef to lift into the net from close range.

Khazri turned goalscorer 15 minutes later after a penetrating move down Tunisia’s right wing. Naïm Sliti and Oussama Haddadi did the initial work with a sharp exchange before Haddadi put his cross in.

Meriah had been the unwitting defender who deflected Rodríguez’s shot from just outside the penalty area into the net to give Panama hopes of a historic win four days after their 6-1 drubbing against England. The victory ensured Tunisia finished third in the group. Panama could at least take some satisfaction from scoring in two of their games.