FULL-TIME: England seal an opening game victory at the World Cup with a late, late winner from Harry Kane giving England a 2-1 win. Tunisia can hold their heads high and must lift their spirits for the Belgium game.
10:48PM: GOAL - Harry Kane breaks Tunisians hearts with a headed goal from a corner with just 2 minutes remaining...
10:42PM: Saber Khalifa comes on for Wahbi Khazri as Tunisia look to hit England on the break...can they steal this?
10:31PM: Tunisia looking more and more comfortable as Naim Sliti comes off to be replaced by Ben Armor. England not looking anywhere near as threatening as they were in the first half...
10:25PM: Raheem Sterling comes off, as Marcus Rashford replaces him. England looking to inject a bit of pace up front against the resolute Tunisian defense.
10:17PM: England in full control, pushing Tunisia back further and further...fans getting slightly restless as a Mexican wave breaks out in the stands.
10:10PM: England come out after the break looking dangerous and hoping to continue where they left off, forcing a corner... nothing doing for England.
HALFTIME: It's halftime, and Tunisia are level. The African side are holding their own against their more illustrious opponents and it has been an evenly-contested half of football. Tunisia will be confident of pushing England all the way here in Volgograd. Stay tuned for the second half...
9:38PM: The pace of the game slows down somewhat in the sapping heat of Volgograd, defenses looking weak for both teams. Chances surely to come in the second half...
9:33PM: Penalty to Tunisia! GOAL! And Sassi tucks it away with aplomb in the bottom right hand corner. Definitely game on now! Tunisia 1 England 1
9:25PM: Sassi of Tunisia has a rare chance in front of goal for Tunisia, as the Eagles of Carthage gives their fans hope in their best spell of the game. Game on?
9:21PM: Tunisia force a corner in their first meaningful attack of the game. It comes to nothing.
9:09PM: GOAL: Harry Kane of England is on hand to tap in the rebound from a fantastic save from Hassem after a Stones header. Tunisia under the cosh.
England's Harry Kane is mobbed by team-mates as he scores his side's first goal of the game during the FIFA World Cup Group G match at The Volgograd Arena, Volgograd.
: @owenhumphreys1 - see more at https://t.co/4OejjSjF0M #eng #WorldCup #ENGTUN #england #threelions pic.twitter.com/s8OtZK5hby
— PA Images (@PAImages) June 18, 2018
9:02PM: Hassem in the Tunisian goal under pressure early as England pepper the goal with a Lingard shot and the resulting England corner. Close.
8.55PM: We are seconds away from kick-off... stay tuned ...
8:35PM: The Tunisia dressing room ahead of their opening game against England. Excitement building in Volgograd!
Dans moins de 30 minutes, la Tunisie affronte l'Angleterre ! Inch'Allah marbou7a ! #TUNENG #TUN #CM2018 pic.twitter.com/V93mOrRE9Q
— Tunisie Football (@tunisiefootball) June 18, 2018
Tunisia starting XI: Hassem, Ben Youssef. S, Meriah, Bronn, Maaloul, Badri, Sassi, Skhiri, Ben Youssef. F, Khazri (C), Sliti
England starting XI: Pickford, Maguire, Stones, Walker, Young, Henderson, Trippier, Alli, Lingard, Sterling, Kane (C)
Here we go then. It's been a long 12 years for Tunisia fans, but they will finally be cheering their team on in a World Cup for the first time since 2006. The "Eagles of Carthage" are preparing to take on England in Monday’s Group G encounter, with the weight of Arab expectation and the hopes of an entire region rest on the shoulders of Nail Maaloul’s charges. After just one defeat in 10 games for Nail Maaloul’s side, their players and supporters - and many a neutral - will be quietly confident of an upset of a generation.
