Tunisia clinches final men’s quarterfinal

Tunisia came through with a 25-23 victory over Argentina in a decisive men’s Group A preliminary match that lifted the African nation to the quarterfinals. `The two teams had been tied in fourth place with two points apiece in Group A, making the Monday morning contest an elimination game to determine the fourth and final qualifier from the group. Tunisia got seven goals from Kamel Alouini and played a solid defensive game throughout to maintain a slim lead on their opponent for much of the match. After falling into an early 6-1 deficit, Argentina was constantly chasing to even the score line. They eventually made it even at 12-12 to end the first half, but Tunisia started strong again in the second frame and never looked back. Argentina goalkeeper Matias Carlos Schulz made just nine saves all game and could not deny the Tunisian attack during the most crucial late moments of play. Tunisia is making its third appearance in Olympic handball, and the team will take on the winner of Group B – to be decided later today – in Wednesday’s quarterfinal.