Nigeria Secure Afcon Last 16 Spot Despite Late Carthage Eagles Fightback
Former African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen was instrumental in his team build a commanding advantage, but the Super Eagles were forced to hold on for a narrow win.
Nigeria weathered a dramatic comeback attempt from Tunisia to advance to the last 16 of the Afcon tournament taking place in Morocco.
The Super Eagles seemed to be cruising in their Group C encounter in the Moroccan city, holding a three-goal lead with only 17 minutes remaining thanks to strikes from their attacking trio.
However, a Tunisian defender reduced the deficit with a close-range finish from a Hannibal Mejbri set-piece, sparking hopes of a recovery.
The tension intensified when Tunisia were awarded a spot-kick after a VAR check identified a handball by Bright Osayi-Samuel. Ali Abdi calmly slotted home in the dying stages to create a nail-biting conclusion.
The Carthage Eagles came agonizingly close from a last-gasp equalizer in added time, with their skipper heading a opportunity narrowly wide before Ismael Gharbi guided a bobbling volley wide of the goal frame.
Clinching First Place
This result means that the Super Eagles, winners of the tournament on 3 past instances, move to 6 points and are guaranteed top spot in their pool with one game still to play.
In the next round, they will face a third-placed team from one of Group A, B or F.
In the other match, the 2004 champions stay on 3 group points, with the East African teams tied on one point each after playing out a 1-1 draw earlier on Saturday.
The concluding pool matches will see the group leaders stay in Fes to take on the Cranes on the next matchday, while Tunisia return to the capital to face Tanzania.
A Nervy Finish
The Tunisian defender drilled the ball from the penalty spot to offer his team hope of earning a point.
Nigeria, finalists in the previous tournament, are the next nation after Egypt to qualify for the next phase, but their manager and supporters will undoubtedly be breathing a sigh of relief.
What looked like set to be a straightforward final quarter transformed into a tense conclusion.
Victor Osimhen had a goal ruled out for an infringement before breaking the deadlock right before the interval, precisely placing a glancing effort into the bottom corner from an Atalanta winger delivery.
The lead was doubled soon in the second period when Wilfred Ndidi climbed above everyone to thump in a header from a Lookman kick.
Osimhen then set up Lookman for the seemingly decisive goal, before the defender to direct a header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to initiate the fightback.
The key incident came when a high ball hit the arm of Bright Osayi-Samuel, with referee Boubou Traore pointing to the spot after reviewing the pitchside screen.
Although Ali Abdi's successful penalty, Tunisia ultimately fell short of pulling off a remarkable recovery.
Their fate is still in their control; a draw against Tanzania will be sufficient to secure progression, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be eager to prevent a recurrence of the past group-stage exit that led to his previous resignation.
