Clinical Tunisia Crush Sao Tome and Principe 6-0, Issuing Ominous Warning to African Qualifying Rivals

By the time Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane slotted home his second goal in stoppage time, the Stade Olympique de Rades felt less like a football ground and more like a statement of intent. Tunisia’s 6-0 demolition of Sao Tome and Principe on Friday not only capped another ruthless qualifying performance but also underscored the gulf in class between a team chasing World Cup dreams and a squad struggling to find its footing on the continental stage.

From the opening whistle, Tunisia seized control, pinning back Sao Tome with a mix of methodical possession and incisive vertical play. Yet for much of the opening half-hour, the final product evaded the hosts—their passes sharper, their movement crisper, but the scoreboard stubbornly blank. That changed in the 36th minute, when Firas Chaouat’s predatory instincts put Tunisia ahead. Latching onto an inch-perfect delivery just inside the penalty area, Chaouat calmly beat the Sao Tome goalkeeper to open the floodgates.

Within minutes, Tunisian superiority morphed into dominance. Elias Saad, a constant menace on the left, doubled the lead three minutes later. Exploiting a defensive lapse, Saad darted into the box to finish low at the near post. The Rades crowd had barely settled when he struck again, a second goal in the 43rd minute that showcased both his individual flair and Tunisia’s relentless pressure.

Trailing 3-0 at the break, Sao Tome and Principe faced a mountain with little hope for ascent. Any ambitions of clawing back were dashed less than two minutes after the restart. Ismael Gharbi, unmarked at the top of the box, rifled a shot past a helpless defense, stretching the margin to four.

A penalty in the 68th minute offered no respite for the visitors; Ben Romdhane, Tunisia’s midfield metronome, dispatched it with typical composure. His final contribution—a late tap-in as the match wound down—bookended a thoroughly professional display and pushed the scoreline to six.

If there was a single turning point, it was the frenetic spell late in the first half, when Tunisia’s three goals in seven minutes extinguished any sense of contest. Sao Tome and Principe, winless in qualifying and having conceded three or more in consecutive matches, simply had no reply. Their earlier outings—a 3-0 defeat to Namibia and a narrow 3-2 loss at home against Equatorial Guinea—had at least shown flashes of resilience and attacking ambition. In Rades, that optimism met the cold reality of a Tunisian side operating with ruthless efficiency.

For Tunisia, the result continues a perfect qualifying run. Their previous matches—a gritty 1-0 away win over Equatorial Guinea sealed by a 90th-minute Ben Romdhane goal and a comfortable 3-0 home triumph against Liberia—hinted at a team capable of both patience and power. Friday’s deluge in Rades put any doubts firmly to rest. With nine goals scored and none conceded in their last three outings, Tunisia have surged to the summit of their qualifying group, staking a claim as one of Africa’s most complete sides at this stage.

Sao Tome and Principe, meanwhile, remain rooted to the bottom of the standings, the scoreboard reflecting the steep learning curve still ahead. Their defense—repeatedly breached by Tunisia’s rotating cast of attackers—offered few answers, but greater concerns lie in the lack of composure under pressure and an inability to string together threatening passages of play. Unlike in their narrow defeat to Equatorial Guinea, there were no late-game heroics to soften the blow.

No red cards or major disciplinary incidents marred the contest, but the challenge for Sao Tome now is recovery—mental as much as tactical. Their head-to-head record against Tunisia has been historically lopsided; in recent meetings Tunisia has consistently dictated terms, and this rout only reinforced the existing power dynamic.

For Tunisia, the path forward is one paved with expectation. The North Africans are no strangers to navigating grueling qualifying campaigns, but this squad, blending seasoned internationals with emerging talents like Saad and Gharbi, appears especially well-equipped for the road to 2026. The next matches will test their consistency, but on this evidence, Tunisia are not just group favorites—they are a team with the look of a tournament mainstay.

Sao Tome and Principe, battered and bruised, must regroup quickly. The battle may be uphill, but their campaign is far from over. With pride and progress on the line, every fixture from here is a chance to rebuild, restore confidence, and prove they belong on this stage.

As the final whistle echoed across the Rades night, there was only one story—Tunisia’s relentless march, and a warning fired across Africa’s World Cup qualifying landscape.