Wabhi Khazri has announced his retirement from international football following Tunisia's exit from the World Cup.
The 31-year-old scored the winner in the North Africans' win over France on Tuesday, but it wasn't enough to see them qualify for the knockout stages. Tunisia moved into second for a matter of minutes thanks to Khazri's strike, before Australia jumped back above them as they went ahead against Denmark.
It stayed that way in both matches as Tunisia suffered World Cup devastation to ensure they finished third in their group, with world No.10 Denmark sitting rock bottom. Khazri could take heart from his performance, however, with the striker netting his 25th goal for his nation in his 74th cap.
Khazri's finish was one of pure class, given that he ran from just inside his own-half towards the edge of the area, then had the composure to poke the ball into the bottom corner. He had to do some excellent defensive work to keep his team ahead going into the latter stages as France thought they equalised - but Antoine Griezmann's 98th minute effort was ruled out by VAR.
The former Sunderland man retires as his country's all-time leading score at the World Cup finals, with three goals in five appearances after netting twice four years ago in Russia. Khazri opened up on what has been an emotional last couple of days for the forward after scoring a crucial goal for his country on his final appearance.
"I am proud of what I gave my country over the past years, and I believe that the future for this generation is bright," Khazri told beIN Sports France. "After the match, and in a meeting that included all the players and the technical and administrative staff, I told everyone that this moment is appropriate, and I thanked everyone and wished them success."
Having made his Tunisia debut in 2013, Khazri has led his country to two World Cups, and three Africa Cup of Nations, with the 2019 AFCON tournament his most memorable. Khazri was the captain of the Tunisian side that came fourth at the competition, with the striker netting once in the process.
Khazri also netted twice for Tunisia in AFCON earlier this year, bringing his tally to 24 goals for his nation. With Tunisia now out of the World Cup, he has hung up his boots to focus on his club stint at Montpellier. Meanwhile, the future of manager Jalel Kadri is also yet to be resolved - with the 50-year-old refusing to discuss his situation after the end of their Group D campaign.
"The contract I have is based on objectives," he said. "The objective was not fulfilled but we still have some time to look at things before we take a final decision. That will be up to the Tunisian federation."
