Oussama Ben Romdhane knew the moment would come — and against Egypt, he made sure Tunisia rose to the occasion.
For Tunisia, the road to the knockout stage ran straight through Egypt — and Oussama Ben Romdhane knew it all along.
“From the start of this World Championship, we knew that this match against Egypt was decisive,” Romdhane said.
And when that moment came, the 22-year-old outside hitter and his team more than delivered.
“We played very well, and we deserved to win,” Romdhane said after Tunisia’s 25-19, 25-18, 25-22 upset of the reigning African champions, sealing a spot in the Round of 16 of the FIVB Men’s World Championship 2025.
[ALSO READ: FIVB: Tunisia first from Pool A to reach Round of 16 after straight-set shocker vs. Egypt]
Romdhane teamed up with Ilyes Karamosli, with both players scoring 14 points, to complete another tournament shocker at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Thursday, Sept. 17.
So Nice, It Happened Twice
Earlier, Serbia set the tone with a ruthless straight-set demolition of now world no. 4 Brazil, storming into the knockout rounds with authority.
[ALSO READ: Dražen Luburic, Serbia take the “hard way” to clinch Round of 16 berth at FIVB World Championship]
Hours later, Tunisia followed that script to perfection, surging ahead as Pool A’s first qualifier and seizing the group’s top spot in emphatic fashion.
Trailing 19-21 in the third set, Tunisia responded with four straight points to grab a 23-21 lead.
Egypt’s Seif Abed tried to rally back, but Selim Mbareki scored before Mahdi Ben Tahar’s block sealed the win for the world No. 33 squad.
Elyes Karamosli spikes the ball during the Pool A clash between Tunisia and Egypt in the FIVB Men’s World Championship 2025
| Photo: RM Chua/One Sports
The 11-time African champions now face either Brazil or Czechia for a spot in the quarterfinals.
“We don’t know if we will play against Serbia, Brazil, or the Czech Republic. We don’t know. But we will play every match, we will prepare, and I think we will play a good match to qualify,” Romdhane said.
The Last Hope
With the win, Tunisia stands as the only African nation remaining in the tournament, carrying the continent’s aspirations on their shoulders.
Tunisia celebrates after eliminating Eygpt and advancing to the Round of 16 of the FIVB Men’s World Championship 2025 | Photo: RM Chua/One Sports
“It’s good for our morale because next year we have the African Championship. So we need to take it step by step to enter the African Championship with stronger confidence,” Romdhane added.
The final knockout round berth in the group will be decided later today when the Philippines face Iran at 5:30 p.m.
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.