Tunisia boss Alain Giresse has wished Aliou Cisse well after the Senegal head coach guided his nation to their second Africa Cup of Nations final.
The Eagles of Carthage were defeated 1-0 by the Teranga Lions after a Dylan Bronn own goal in the first-half of extra time saw the West Africans through.
Giresse, who enjoys a ‘great friendship’ with Cisse, was effusive in his praise of the tactician for guiding his side to their first Afcon final since 2002.
“I and Aliou enjoy a great friendship, he’s managed to create an excellent team with a fantastic generation of players for Senegal,” Giresse said at his post-match press conference.
“I want to congratulate Senegal and him for what they have achieved. I hope he succeeds.”
The experienced Frenchman then revealed his disappointment at failing to progress from the competition’s final four.
“This was a tough game and would have gone either way,” Giresse said.
“We wanted to be in a better place but that’s how the game is. We tried our best but it didn’t turn out as we wanted.
"We will fight another day. This is the beauty of football."
After claiming success on home soil in 2004, Tunisia were seeking a second triumph at Afcon 2019.
They will now compete in the third-place play-off against Nigeria on Wednesday, July 17 at the Al-Salaam Stadium in Cairo.
