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Mills secured the lead
Tunisia brought down the curtain on their participation in the 2026 World Cup with another defeat, losing 3-1 to the Netherlands in the third and final round of the group stage, leaving the tournament without a point and ending one of the worst performances in the history of the World Cup.
It took the Netherlands just three minutes to open the scoring after Elias Al-Sakhiri accidentally turned the ball into his country’s net, continuing the Arabs’ streak of own goals in the tournament.
⚽️ Holland take the lead thanks to a mistake by Elias Al-Sakhiri’s own goal into his country’s national team goal.#WorldCup2026 |: #WorldCup2026 |: #World Cup#FIFAWorldCup2026 |: #fifaworldcup |: #beINWC26 pic.twitter.com/PkU5fNR4af
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) June 25, 2026
Brian Proby added a second goal just four minutes later, benefiting from a great pass from Virgil van Dijk to put the Mills comfortably in front.
⚽️ The Netherlands doubled their lead through Brian Broby#WorldCup2026 |: #WorldCup2026 |: #World Cup#FIFAWorldCup2026 |: #fifaworldcup |: #beINWC26 pic.twitter.com/LeVqR6v53p
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) June 25, 2026
Despite a difficult start, the Tunisian side tried to come back in the second half and Hazem Al-Mastouri managed to reduce the deficit with a powerful header in the 54th minute after following a corner in the penalty area, before the match referee confirmed the goal after reviewing the video technology.
⚽️ Hazem Al-Mastouri narrows the gap between the Tunisian team with a distinctive header.#WorldCup2026 |: #WorldCup2026 |: #World Cup#FIFAWorldCup2026 |: #fifaworldcup |: #beINWC26 pic.twitter.com/2BhcUDCBOI
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) June 26, 2026
But the Carthage Eagles’ hopes were short-lived as Jan-Paul van Hecke restored the two-goal lead in the 62nd minute after he rose above everyone else to head a corner into the net to secure a three-goal victory for the Netherlands.
⚽️ The Dutch team strengthens its lead against Tunisia with three goals pic.twitter.com/sJBX3XIFji
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) June 26, 2026
With this result, the Tunisian team ended the tournament without a win or a draw, losing all three of their matches, first losing 5–1 to Sweden, then losing 4–0 to Japan and finally losing 3–1 to the Netherlands.
While the Netherlands topped the group with 7 points, they set up a fiery encounter with Morocco, who were second on goal difference in their group behind Brazil.
Tunisia also came out with an unprecedented negative number after being the weakest defensive line at the 2026 World Cup, conceding 12 goals to just two goals in three games, making them the worst defensive record of any team at the tournament.
The Netherlands, on the other hand, continued their strong performances and secured their place in the round of 32 with a deserved victory, confirming their readiness to enter the knockout stages with great confidence after imposing control over the course of the game from the first minutes and giving their opponents no real chance to come back.
