The Super Eagles Secure Afcon Last 16 Place Despite Fierce Tunisia Fightback
Ex- African Footballer of the Year the Napoli star was instrumental in Nigeria build a 3-0 advantage, before they were compelled to hold on for a hard-fought win.
Nigeria survived a stunning late rally from their opponents to advance to the knockout stage of the Afcon tournament taking place in Morocco.
Jose Peseiro's side seemed to be cruising in their Group C clash in Fes, enjoying a 3-0 lead with only 17 minutes left courtesy of strikes from Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman.
Yet, a Tunisian defender pulled one back with a powerful header from a Manchester United midfielder free-kick, sparking hopes of a recovery.
The drama escalated when Tunisia were given a late penalty after a VAR check spotted a handling offense by the Nigerian defender. The left-back calmly slotted home in the 87th minute to create a nail-biting finale.
Tunisia came agonizingly close from a last-gasp leveler in added time, with captain Ferjani Sassi directing a chance narrowly wide before Ismael Gharbi guided a bobbling volley past the upright.
Clinching Top Spot
This result ensures that the Super Eagles, winners of the competition on 3 previous occasions, move to 6 group points and are guaranteed top spot in their pool with a match left to be contested.
In the next round, they will face a third-placed team from one of the other preliminary groups.
In the other match, Tunisia remain on 3 points, with the East African teams tied on one point after registering a 1-1 draw in the day's other fixture.
The final group fixtures will see the group leaders stay in the city to take on the Cranes on Tuesday, while the Eagles of Carthage travel back to the capital to confront the Taifa Stars.
An Anxious Conclusion
The Tunisian defender drilled home from the penalty spot to give Tunisia hope of earning a draw.
The Super Eagles, runners-up in the 2023 tournament, are the next team after Egypt to qualify for the next phase, but coach Eric Chelle and fans will certainly be feeling relieved.
What seemed set to be a comfortable final quarter morphed into a nerve-wracking affair.
Victor Osimhen had a effort disallowed for an infringement before opening the scoring right before the interval, precisely placing a header into the bottom corner from an Atalanta winger delivery.
The lead was extended soon in the second period when the Leicester City midfielder climbed above everyone to power home a header from a Lookman corner.
Osimhen then set up Lookman for the third goal, before the defender to direct a powerful header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to initiate the comeback.
The pivotal incident came when a high ball hit the arm of the full-back, with referee Boubou Traore pointing to the spot after reviewing the pitchside screen.
Although Ali Abdi's confident conversion, the 2004 champions ultimately came up just short of pulling off a remarkable comeback.
Tunisia's destiny is still in their control; a draw against Tanzania will be enough to secure progression, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be eager to prevent a recurrence of the past group-stage exit that resulted in his departure.
