Samindra Kunti Moscow: Arab teams need two generations to compete at the highest level, that is the view of Nabil Maaloul. The Tunisia coach was speaking after watching his Tunisia side thrashed 5-2 by Belgium in a match that underlined the gulf between the two teams. The Arab challenge in Russia faltered even before the final round of group matches has kicked off. Tunisia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Egypt lost all of their eight matches in Russia — and barely 10 days into the tournament all four know they have to go home before the knockout stages. And for Maaloul this means one thing: Arab football has a lot of catching up to do if it wants to compete at the elite level. “We did not disappoint the Arab world, we did not give up on our Arab fans,” the Tunisian coach said. “We need two more generations to reach (the top) level of performance in terms of fitness and physical strength. We are far from the required level.” That view was echoed by the side’s captain, Wabhi Khazri, who admitted that over Tunisia’s two matches — the defeat to Belgium and the 2-1 opening-game loss to England — the gap between them and Europe’s top teams was all too noticeable. “The level was too high, too elevated over the two games,” Kazhri said. “You have to say the way it is, but Tunisia have progressed a lot, and it’s for us now to finish the World Cup well against Panama.” Tunisia had arrived in Russia on the back of encouraging friendly results against both Spain and Portugal — a tight 1-0 defeat to Spain and a 2-2 draw with Portugal — but two consecutive defeats have knocked them out of the tournament with one match still to play. The Eagles of Carthage’s winless World Cup streak now stretches to 13 games, with their last victory dating back to their opening game against Mexico at the 1978 World Cup. On Thursday, Tunisia will play Panama in their final group G game in Saransk. “We have to be honest, a 5-2 scoreline is ridiculous, but we were not ridiculous in the way we played,” Maaloul said. “It is very difficult to win against players who can make the difference at any moment with good passes and through balls.” Maaloul bemoaned an early penalty and two first-half injuries for the chastening defeat against Belgium. The Tunisians endured a dramatic first half, punctuated by sloppy defending and injury woes. In the sixth minute Syam Ben Youssef recklessly clattered Eden Hazard, leaving referee Jair Marrufo with little choice but to award a penalty to the European team. The Belgian captain converted, netting after just four minutes. In the England game, Harry Kane had opened the scoring after 11 minutes. “The penalty wasn’t ideal to begin the game,” defender Fakhreddine Ben Youssef said. “I don’t know if it was inside the box. I had the impression it wasn’t. The referee told us that it was inside.” To compound Tunisia’s misery, Dylan Bronn was stretchered off in the 24th minute. The left-back built on an impressive performance from the opening game and scored, meeting Wahbi Khazri’s excellent delivery to head past Thibaut Courtois. In the 41st minute, Ben Youssef limped off injured. “That handicapped both the coach and us,” Khazri said. “He had to make quick substitutions. That changes the set-up a bit, because we were in the game.”