Sabri Lamouchi has been sacked by Tunisia after just one game of World Cup 2026.

The 54-year-old former France international was sacked the day after Tunisia’s  5-1 trouncing by Sweden  in their opening Group F football game in Monterrey, Mexico, on Sunday night.

Tunisian officials have installed Mondher Kebaier, who led the national team from 2019 to 2022 and has been in a technical director role since last year, as interim boss ahead of the second group game against Japan in the early hours of Sunday, also in Monterrey.

The 56-year-old previously guided the Eagles of Carthage to the final of the Arab Cup in 2021, losing to Algeria, before a quarterfinal exit in AFCON the following year.

Speaking before his departure, Lamouchi said his side had been punished for a string of costly mistakes and after the game admitted: “It’s a difficult loss. It’s painful. Starting the competition with ⁠this bad of a loss is indeed difficult.

“We made way too many mistakes.”

Lamouchi was already under pressure after a 5-0 defeat to Belgium in the team’s final warm-up game, while he has been forced to defend the presence of his son during their training camp in the media despite him not being an official member of the party.

Tunisia will face Japan and the Netherlands, who played out a pulsating 2-2 draw in their opening match in Dallas on Sunday, in ⁠their final two group fixtures, and Lamouchi said: “We have our pride. We need to react. We need to give a better image.”

Lamouchi, who holds dual Tunisian and French citizenship, represented clubs including Auxerre, Monaco, Parma, Inter and Marseille during his playing career before his first role in management saw him guide Ivory Coast to the 2014 World Cup, beating Japan in their first game only to exit in the group stage after a dramatic late defeat against Greece in their final game.

It was a second chapter of World Cup heartache for Lamouchi, who was cut from the final France squad for World Cup 1998 by coach Aime Jacquet, missing out on a place in history as Les Bleus claimed their first title on home soil.

He went on to manage Rennes and Nottingham Forest before short stints in Qatar, with Cardiff City and in Saudi Arabia before being appointed by Tunisia in January on a two-and-a-half-year contract following a disappointing Africa Cup of Nations campaign.

[Aljazeera]

A rest day on Monday will be followed by a double-header on Tuesday. Defending champions New Zealand will take on Sri Lanka from 1.30pm GMT in Southampton, where New Zealand lost their opening fixture to West Indies. Sri Lanka are also coming off a defeat, having lost to hosts England in their first game. The contest has been largely one-sided, with New Zealand winning 14 of the 16 completed T20Is against Sri Lanka. However, they have lost two of the last four of those meetings, including the bilateral series in New Zealand in March, which ended in 1-1.

In the second game of the day that starts at 5.30pm GMT, England will face Ireland, who lost their opener to Scotland on Saturday. Ireland are without a win in 18 Women’s T20 World Cup matches. The teams have met only four times in T20Is, with England winning three, but Ireland winning the last clash, against a second-string England side in 2024. The hosts will start as overwhelming favourites again though.

Suzie Bates missed the opening game, marking the first time New Zealand played a women’s T20 World Cup match without her. It remains to be seen whether New Zealand stick with the same XI at the same venue or bring Bates back at the top, moving Izzy Gaze to No. 3. They could also consider recalling the experienced Lea Tahuhu into the XI before time runs out for New Zealand.

Sri Lanka have little room for error when they take on defending champions New Zealand in their second game of the Women’s World Cup at the Rose Bowl today. After suffering a crushing 87 run defeat to hosts England, Chamari Atapattu’s side saw their Net Run Rate take a severe beating, leaving them with almost no margin for error. Another defeat could virtually shut the door on their semi-final aspirations.

New Zealand, meanwhile, are also under pressure after suffering a shock defeat to the West Indies last week. The White Ferns will be desperate to set the record straight and start overwhelming favourites, having won 14 of the 16 matches the two teams have contested.

Young top order batter Vishmi Gunaratne, who despite being only 20 years old has already represented Sri Lanka in more than 80 internationals, promised a much improved display against the Kiwis.

“We all came to England with a lot of belief and confidence, but we didn’t play well in the opening game. We need to put that behind us now and focus on the games ahead,” Gunaratne told reporters.

“We have had some good discussions about what we need to do against New Zealand. We have played them quite often and know what it takes to beat them. We are looking forward to a good contest,” she added.

“England was a tough game and we know where we went wrong. We are determined to bounce back, play much better cricket and come out victorious.”

Dropped catches proved costly in the opening game and the Sri Lankan players spent two days at the Rose Bowl sharpening their fielding skills. Head coach Jamie Siddons, however, felt poor bowling rather than spilled chances was chiefly responsible for the heavy defeat in Birmingham.

Sri Lanka are rooted to the bottom of Group ‘B’, where six teams are battling for two semi-final spots.

In Group ‘A’, Australia, India and South Africa are considered the leading contenders for semis. While Australia and India have made winning starts to the tournament, South Africa find themselves at the foot of the table after losing their opening fixture.

Rex Clementine
in Southampton