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Youssef Msakni achieved a Tunisian football landmark on Tuesday by earning his 100th cap for the Carthage Eagles against Namibia at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations.
But the midfielder’s milestone occasion ended in disappointment as minnows Namibia ruined the party with a shock 1-0 win in Cote d’Ivoire.
Msakni, 33, became just the second Tunisian player to reach a century of international appearances.
The feat moves him behind only former defender Radhi Jaidi (105 caps) on Tunisia’s all-time list.
Msakni also joined an elite band of African players to have played at eight TotalEnergies CAF AFCON tournaments, matching Ghana’s Andre Ayew.
But his achievement was soured as the Eagles failed to mark the occasion with victory, slipping to a dramatic late defeat.
Deon Hotto’s 89th-minute winner secured the tournament debutants a famous scalp in Group E.
The Al Arabi playmaker is also his country’s third-highest scorer with 23 goals for the national side.
But even the talents of veteran Msakni could not inspire Tunisia to capitalise on their domination against the Namibian upstarts.
Instead, a moment of magic from Hotto sentenced Msakni and co to a demoralizing opening loss.
The milestone man will now hope to lead Tunisia’s response when they face Mali in their second group game on Sunday.