Nigeria Secure Afcon Last 16 Place In Spite of Fierce Tunisia Comeback
Former Continent's Best Player of the Year Victor Osimhen helped Nigeria establish a 3-0 advantage, before they were compelled to hold on for a hard-fought victory.
Nigeria weathered a stunning comeback attempt from their opponents to advance to the knockout stage of the Afcon tournament taking place in the host nation.
The Super Eagles seemed to be in complete control in their pool clash in the Moroccan city, enjoying a three-goal lead with only 17 minutes left courtesy of goals from their attacking trio.
Yet, Montassar Talbi reduced the deficit with a powerful header from a Hannibal Mejbri set-piece, igniting hopes of a recovery.
The tension intensified when Tunisia were given a spot-kick after a VAR check spotted a handling offense by Bright Osayi-Samuel. The left-back calmly slotted home in the 87th minute to create a frantic conclusion.
Tunisia were inches away from a stunning leveler in added time, with captain Ferjani Sassi heading a chance just past the post before Ismael Gharbi sent a half-volley wide of the upright.
Securing First Place
This result means that Nigeria, winners of the tournament on 3 past instances, move to six group points and are guaranteed top spot in Group C with a match still to play.
In the next round, they will meet a best third-place side from one of the other preliminary groups.
In the other match, the 2004 champions remain on 3 points, with the East African teams tied on a single point after playing out a one-all draw earlier on Saturday.
The final group fixtures will see Nigeria remain in Fes to play Uganda on Tuesday, while the Eagles of Carthage return to Rabat to confront Tanzania.
A Nervy Finish
The Tunisian defender drilled the ball from the penalty spot to give his team a glimmer of hope of earning a draw.
The Super Eagles, finalists in the 2023 tournament, become the second team after the Pharaohs to reach the knockout stage, but their manager and supporters will undoubtedly be breathing a sigh of relief.
What seemed set to be a comfortable last period transformed into a tense conclusion.
The prolific striker had a effort ruled out for offside before opening the scoring right before half-time, precisely placing a header into the bottom corner from an Ademola Lookman delivery.
The advantage was extended early in the second half when Wilfred Ndidi climbed above everyone to power home a header from a Lookman kick.
The number 9 then set up Lookman for the seemingly decisive goal, only for the defender to direct a header past the Nigerian shot-stopper to begin the fightback.
The pivotal moment arrived when a looping cross struck the arm of Bright Osayi-Samuel, with the official pointing to the spot after reviewing the VAR monitor.
Although Ali Abdi's confident conversion, the 2004 champions ultimately came up just short of pulling off a stirring recovery.
Their fate is still in their own hands; a draw against Tanzania will be sufficient to secure progression, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be keen to avoid a repeat of the 2013 early elimination that led to his departure.
