Tunisia and Gabon played out an exciting goalless draw in the African Cup of Nations on Sunday. Gabon, who kicked off their campaign in style by defeating Cameroon, remain on top of Group D with four points whereas Tunisia are now in second spot on two. From the same group Cameroon will face Zambia later on the day. The first half was an evenly-balanced affair, with both sides equally trying to break the deadlock with long-range shots. Daniel Cousin tried his luck from distance but saw his free-kick deflect off a challenger to go over the crossbar. Amine Chermiti was the first to threat Gabon with a fierce effort that went inches past the post. The energetic striker squandered a golden chance on 27 minutes when he dribbled past the keeper but mis-hit his shot. His second drive was blocked by a challenge. The last 15 minutes of the first half witnessed free-flowing football from both teams, thanks to their attacking approaches. Cautious were both sides in the early minutes of the second period till Gabon became superior for a while in terms of possession. In return, The Eagles of Carthage were dangerous on the counter attack. Issam Jemaa could have been awarded a penalty-kick when he cut inside and dived after feinting past a a Gabon defender. The instant replay showed that the Tunisian marksman wasn't felled. Tunisia tightened their grip on the game in the last 20 minutes. Ahmed Akaichi was close to opening the scoring when his close-range volley hit the bar 11 minutes from time while the linesman signaled for offside. The Tunisians and the Black Panthers maintained venomous attack in the dying minutes of the game. Daniel Cousin had a clear-cut chance to score a last-gasp goal from few yards away from target before he was brought down. He wasn't given no spot kick though.
