Nigeria Book Afcon Last 16 Spot Despite Late Carthage Eagles Comeback
Former Continent's Best Player of the Year Victor Osimhen was instrumental in Nigeria establish a 3-0 advantage, before the Super Eagles were forced to defend resolutely for a hard-fought win.
Nigeria weathered a dramatic comeback attempt from Tunisia to progress to the knockout stage of the Afcon tournament taking place in the host nation.
The Super Eagles seemed to be cruising in their Group C encounter in Fes, holding a three-goal cushion with only a quarter of an hour left thanks to strikes from Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman.
Yet, Montassar Talbi pulled one back with a powerful header from a Manchester United midfielder set-piece, igniting hopes of a recovery.
The drama escalated when Tunisia were given a late penalty after a video assistant referee review spotted a handball by Bright Osayi-Samuel. The left-back converted in the dying stages to set up a frantic conclusion.
Tunisia came agonizingly close from a stunning leveler in stoppage time, with their skipper heading a chance narrowly wide before Ismael Gharbi sent a half-volley past the upright.
Securing Top Spot
This result means that the Super Eagles, winners of the competition on three previous occasions, advance to 6 group points and are guaranteed first place in their pool with one game still to play.
In the next round, they will face a best third-place team from either Group A, B or F.
In the other match, Tunisia remain on 3 points, with the East African teams locked on a single point each after registering a 1-1 stalemate earlier on Saturday.
The final pool fixtures will see Nigeria remain in Fes to take on the Cranes on Tuesday, while Tunisia travel back to Rabat to confront the Taifa Stars.
A Nervy Conclusion
The Tunisian defender smashed the ball from the penalty spot to give his team a glimmer of hope of snatching a draw.
The Super Eagles, runners-up in the previous edition, are the next nation after Egypt to qualify for the knockout stage, but their manager and fans will undoubtedly be feeling relieved.
What seemed set to be a straightforward last period transformed into a tense 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 Ademola Lookman cross.
The advantage was doubled early in the second period when the Leicester City midfielder climbed above everyone to power home a powerful nod from a set-piece corner.
The number 9 then set up Lookman for the seemingly decisive goal, only for the defender to direct a header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to begin the fightback.
The pivotal incident came when a looping cross hit the forearm of the full-back, with referee Boubou Traore awarding a penalty after reviewing the pitchside screen.
Despite the defender's successful penalty, the 2004 champions in the end fell short of pulling off a stirring recovery.
Their fate remains in their control; a draw against Tanzania will be enough to secure progression, and their coach will be eager to prevent a repeat of the past early elimination that led to his departure.
