Yesterday, confetti rained-down and fireworks exploded as Tunisia’s under-17 team held aloft the Arab cup trophy. Monday’s decisive 3-0 rout of Iraq in the final fully illustrated Tunisia’s dominance over even the toughest contenders of the U-17 Arab Cup.

Tunisia, the host of this year’s tournament, squandered the bid of their historic soccer rivals, Morocco, in the semi-final with a score of 4-2, propelling the talented young Tunisian squad into the finals. The final match featured an impressive team performance, characterized by superior coordination among the offense, unfaltering discipline along the defensive line, and excellent goalkeeping.

Tunisia’s first goal against Iraq arrived in the 5th minute off the foot of Maher Gabsi, while Chamseddine Samti claimed the following two goals in the 8th and 94th minutes. The most impressive of the three points was Samti’s 8th minute goal, which he fired from a corner-kick directly into the net.

Tunisia’s 2012 success, marking the second iteration of the annual U-17 Arab Cup, unseats Saudi Arabia, the victor of last year’s tournament.

On Wednesday, the spotlight will shift to Jordan, where, after narrowly defeating the Algerians, Tunisia will meet Saudi Arabia in the finals of the U-20 Arab Cup.