Tunisia coach Herve Renard has said his players will take on Japan with “a spirit of revenge” and will use the example of shocks such as Cape Verde’s draw with Spain to inspire them.
Renard replaced Sabri Lamouchi as manager of the North African side after their 5-1 defeat to Sweden — the first nation in World Cup history to sack their coach after one game.
It will be the Frenchman’s third World Cup in a row after leading Morocco and Saudi Arabia in 2018 and 2022. Four years ago in Qatar, his Saudi Arabia team beat eventual champions Argentina in their first game.
Renard, who only met his players for the first time on Tuesday, said: “I found a group who were receptive, determined, with a spirit of revenge for this second match.
“There’s no magicians in football — there’s work, there’s preparation, after that you have to be good and effective at the right moment.
“The games are very tough (at the World Cup), even for the strong teams, the favourites of this competition. The big example is Cape Verde drawing against Spain, maybe one of the biggest favourites of this competition.
“We have to follow this example and not to be scared about anything.”
