Tunis/doha, Dec. 1 -- Tunisians celebrated a historic but bittersweet World Cup victory over France on Wednesday as they defeated their former colonial power but still crashed out of a tournament marked by a remarkable string of Arab wins over soccer powerhouses.

Car horns sounded in Tunis after the final whistle in Tunisia's 1-0 win as fans savoured the moment even though their side did not make it through to the last 16 of the Qatar World Cup, the first in an Arab country.

It was the third upset by an Arab country against heavily fancied opponents, but like Saudi Arabia's win over Argentina last week it was not enough to secure a place in the next round.

The Saudis fell short on Wednesday, losing 2-1 to Mexico, and host Qatar are alr...