MATCH FACTS: Tunisia and Algeria clash in historic North African Derby

Tunisia and Algeria meet for the first time at the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in a Group B encounter at the Père Jégo Stadium in Casablanca on Thursday (Kick-off: 17:00 local time / 16:00 GMT).

This is the first-ever WAFCON meeting between two North African nations that share a border – Tunisia and Algeria are separated by a 1,034-kilometre boundary stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Sahara Desert.

It is only the second WAFCON fixture between North African nations in the tournament’s history. The first was Morocco’s 4-1 win over Egypt in the group stage of the 1998 edition.

Tunisia – Key Facts

·       Tunisia began their campaign with a 3-0 loss to Nigeria – their heaviest defeat in WAFCON history.

·       It was only the second time they had conceded three goals in a match, after a 3-2 loss to Mali in 2008.

·       Tunisia are now on a four-game losing streak at the finals and have failed to score in all four of those matches, conceding five goals.

·       They’ve gone 388 minutes without scoring at WAFCON, with their only win remaining the 4-1 triumph over Togo in 2022.

·       Tunisia have never won their second group game at the finals. They drew 0-0 with Nigeria in 2008 and lost 1-0 to Zambia in 2022.

·       A loss would mark the first time Tunisia have started a WAFCON campaign with back-to-back defeats.

·       Against Nigeria, Tunisia completed just 97 passes — the first time they recorded fewer than 100 passes in a WAFCON match.

·       They failed to register a single shot on target and had just 28% possession – both the lowest recorded across their last two tournament appearances.

·       Goalkeeper Soulayma Jebrani made six saves from nine shots faced – the most she has made in a single WAFCON game (her fifth appearance).

Note: Tunisia’s stats exclude the 2022 repechage match against Senegal.

Algeria – Key Facts

·       Opened their tournament with a 1-0 win over Botswana – their second-ever opening match win, the first being against Ghana in 2014.

·       This is Algeria’s sixth WAFCON appearance, making them the most experienced North African side at the finals.

·       A win would mark the first time Algeria have recorded back-to-back victories at the tournament.

·       If they avoid defeat, it will be the first time they’ve gone unbeaten in consecutive WAFCON matches.

·       Algeria’s record in second group matches: P5 W1 L4.

·       Their only win came in 2004, a 3-0 victory over Mali – still their biggest at the finals.

·       Their win over Botswana ended a five-game losing run and was their first win since beating Ghana 1-0 in 2014.

·       Algeria’s last 10 WAFCON matches have all produced winners (W2 L8); their last draw was a 3-3 result against Equatorial Guinea in 2006.

·       Across 16 tournament matches, Algeria have drawn just once (W3 L12).

·       Against Botswana, Algeria completed 336 of 432 passes (77.8% accuracy).

·       They recorded seven shots on target – four in the first half – and did not face any shots on target in the first half (three faced in the second).

·       Ghoutia Karchouni scored Algeria’s winning goal with her only shot on target.

·       Ines Belloumou led all players with 89 touches in the match.

·       Melissa Bethi was involved in a game-high 14 duels, winning eight – more than any other player on the pitch.