Manchester United youngster Hannibal Mejbri has made an impact off the bench for Tunisia, but not in the way that was expected.
The 19-year-old was an unused substitute in Tunisia’s 0-1 loss to Australia in their second Group D game, leaving them with just one point.
However, the midfielder caused a stir coming off the bench in the first half when Australia’s goalscorer Mitchell Duke went down after taking a hit.
As he lay on the ground, Hannibal got up off the bench to retrieve the ball, apparently tossing it towards the injured Australian.
He hit Duke on the head and jumped up in outrage at the young Tunisian. Several of Duke’s teammates ran into the Tunis technical area as Hannibal’s teammates protected him.
The referee managed to defuse the situation and had a stern word with Hannibal as his manager encouraged him to apologize.
The two players could then be seen shaking hands and laughing about the situation shortly after it happened before Hannibal sheepishly made his way back to the Tunis bench.
Hannibal has earned a reputation for his fiery temper, having been sent off three times in his 40 appearances for Manchester United under-21s, a rare feat given referees tend to be more lenient in Premier League 2.
He was also reprimanded by Ralf Rangnick after he was lucky to remain on the pitch as United lost to Liverpool 4-0, although former Red Gary Neville praised his antics saying he was the only player to show a bit of a fight in that defeat.
Since moving to Birmingham on loan this season, he appears to have controlled his temper, having received just four bookings this season.
Duke’s header in the first half was the only thing that separated the two teams, as Tunisia pushed to no avail for a late equalizer.
Tunisia’s last game of the group stage is against France, reigning world champions, on Wednesday.
