Afcon 2019: Tunisia gained momentum in the knockout stages-Sassi

Tunisia midfielder Ferjani Sassi has expressed his delight with the Carthage Eagles’ newfound momentum at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

Sassi, who was named man-of-the-match in his country's quarter-final match against Madagascar, believes Tunisia have peaked at the right time and he is equally confident they can successfully push for a berth in the final against Senegal on Sunday.

The Zamalek of Egypt player scored the first goal in the 3-0 win which secured Tunisia’s first Afcon semi-final berth in 15 years and now, he wants the job done against the Teranga Lions.

“After three difficult matches in the first round, we gained momentum in the knockout stages,” Sassi told the media in Egypt.

"The bottom line for us now is qualifying from the semi-finals, 15 years since we last did that."

Before getting the big win over Madagascar, Tunisia had drawn all their other games in Egypt, against Angola, Mali, and Mauritania and Ghana.

Coach Giresse’s men required penalty kicks to get past the Black Stars in the Round of 16 after both teams had played out a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes.

Tunisia have qualified for the final only twice: against Zambia during 1996 edition (4-2) and against Nigeria in 2004 in their last appearance at this stage of the competition, on their way to win their only one continental title (1-1 a.e.t., 5-3 pen).