Tunisia finally cracked a European side at Germany/Netherlands 2025, holding firm against Austria’s late push to earn a 27:25 victory.

Main Round, Group III
Austria vs Tunisia 25:27 (12:14)

It was a tightly balanced match from the opening whistle and throughout the entire first half, although Tunisia held a slender advantage for most of it. Austria led only once, at 8:7 in the 17th minute, but the absence of Katarina Pandža quickly became noticeable, as she left the court early after a shoulder blow and did not return, depriving Austria of one of their key players.

Tunisia entered the final ten minutes of the half with a two-goal cushion (11:9) and could have stretched it further thanks to goalkeeper Roa Mkadem, who already had nine saves at an excellent 47% save efficiency. However, hasty attacks and sloppy mistakes kept Austria within reach, and the gap remained at just two by half-time.

Tunisia carried that lead confidently into the second half, refusing to let Austria back into the match. Mkadem continued her strong performance between the posts, and Amal Hamrouni delivered a standout half; almost unstoppable, she netted six goals in the first 17 minutes after the break, pushing Tunisia to their biggest lead at 22:19.

However, Tunisia started to feel the nerves and made more mistakes, allowing Austria to use the momentum and narrow the gap to just one (26:25). Tunisia’s coach Pablo Morel immediately called a time-out, urging his players to stay calm in the closing minutes, and they responded.

Line player Mouna Jlezi delivered the decisive moment, scoring her sixth of the day to push Tunisia ahead 27:25 with four minutes left. That turned out to be the final goal, as neither side managed to score again, with misses and goalkeeper saves defining the frantic final stretch.

Tunisia finally defeated a European side at Germany/Netherlands 2025 after previous losses to France, Poland, and the Netherlands. With these two points, they climbed to fourth place in the group for now. In their last match, Tunisia will face Argentina, while Austria look to salvage their campaign with a win against Poland.

hummel Player of the Match: Amal Hamrouni (Tunisia)