Group H
Tunisia 2, Saudi Arabia 2Time caught up on Tunisia's aging defense on Wednesday, when its old heads were exposed by faster Saudi legs and it was unable to defend a precious lead.
Experienced heads served Tunisia well in qualifying and the team conceded just nine goals in 10 matches.
In goalkeeper Ali Boumnijel, 40, Tunisia on Wednesday fielded the oldest player in the tournament. Hatem Trabelsi, Radhi Jaidi and David Jemmali patrolled the space in front on him -- all aged between 29 and 31.
But the veteran back line buckled and broke twice in the face of quick Saudi breaks to surrender the lead.
With just over half an hour to go, Tunisia were 1-0 ahead and Boumnijel had been tested only by a freekick which he held comfortably.
But when Saudi full-back Ahmed Dokhi sent a pass down the right wing, Noor Mohammed easily beat Jemmali to the ball. When he crossed low and hard, Yasser al-Qahtani outpaced two more defenders to clip the ball in under the bar.
In the 84th minute, the defense was pierced again.
This time, 33-year-old Sami al-Jaber, no spring chicken himself but fresh having just come on as a substitute, raced through the area where Ajax's Trabelsi should have been and beat Boumnijel with ease.
Tunisia coach Roger Lemerre admitted his team had tired and showed poor discipline. He didn't single out any of his players, but said he was concerned at the four yellow cards they picked up.
"We started well, but we weren't very assured," he said. "Scoring a goal gave us a bit more energy. Our mistake was considering that the first goal was enough."
The old heads -- three of Tunisia's midfielders are also aged 29 or over -- also failed to calm those around them. Karim Hagui, 22, was erratic alongside Radhi Jaidi, misplacing headers and giving away dangerous freekicks.
Lemerre said he would make changes for the next matches against Group H favorites Spain and then Ukraine.
But he is unlikely to meddle much with his defense, given the meager soccer resources of one of the tournament's smallest nations.
Still, Jaidi for one redeemed himself in style, heading home an injury-time equalizer that keeps alive Tunisia's hopes of reaching the second round for the first time.
Reuters, MUNICH
Saudi Arabian striker Sami al-Jaber joined an elite group of players that include Pele and Diego Maradona when he scored against Tunisia on Wednesday.
His goal in his team's 2-2 draw with Tunisia came 12 years after his first goal in the World Cup finals against Morocco in 1994 and he has now joined Pele, Uwe Seeler, Diego Maradona and Michael Laudrup as the only players who have scored a World Cup goal 12 years after their maiden goal.
Henrik Larsson of Sweden can also join this elite list if he scores during the tournament.
Pele's goals spanned the years 1958-70, Seeler's 1958-70, Maradona's 1982-94 and Laudrup's 1986-98.
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