Renard wants Tunisia to show dignity in World Cup farewell against Dutch

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, June 24 : Tunisia coach Herve Renard said his side must show pride and dignity in their final World Cup match against the Netherlands on Thursday, as the eliminated North Africans seek to salvage something from a poor campaign.

Tunisia arrived in North America having not conceded a goal throughout qualifying but have shipped nine in two Group F defeats, a 5-1 thrashing by Sweden that saw them dismiss coach Sabri Lamouchi and turn to Renard, followed by a 4-0 loss to Japan that confirmed their exit.

"We need to finish this competition as cleanly as possible," Renard said on Wednesday. "Football requires pride, even when the situation is difficult, and you need to face these situations with dignity all the way to the end.

"I hope that we will maintain this pride and this dignity (on Thursday) as we play against this great team of the Netherlands."

Renard, who has coached five African national teams, was in Senegal watching the tournament when he received the call to take charge after Lamouchi's dismissal.

"The World Cup is an outstanding fixture and I'm lucky enough to be part of it today," he said.

"Even if this happiness will not be long-lasting, you have to live every moment and try and find these emotions. There's another game to go and if we are more solid and if we can oppose this team of the Netherlands, it would be a nice reward to finish this competition."

With the Dutch still battling to secure top spot in the group after a 2-2 draw with Japan and a 5-1 thrashing of Sweden, Tunisia face another massive test.

Goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen rejected any suggestion that the squad had fractured during the turbulent tournament.

"The group is still solid, it's still united. We are unified. We are very strong," Dahmen said.

"Yes, of course, things were destabilised. The only thing we need is for all of us to carry ourselves and carry the responsibility. Everyone needs to be responsible for the match tomorrow."

Renard said discussions about his future could wait until after the tournament, admitting he felt responsible for Tunisia's weak display against Japan.

"We've got this last game to play and then we'll have to take stock of the situation," he said. "I'm open to any discussion. I'm ready to listen to the project, whatever it is, but this is not what I'm here for."

"After Japan, I was a bit ashamed, especially as regards the Tunisians. Let's concentrate now on the next game and let's try and find something difficult to reach."