Nigeria Secure Afcon Last 16 Place In Spite of Late Tunisia Comeback
Former Continent's Best Player of the Year the Napoli star was instrumental in Nigeria build a commanding advantage, before they were forced to hold on for a narrow victory.
The three-time champions survived a dramatic comeback attempt from Tunisia to advance to the last 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations taking place in Morocco.
The Super Eagles seemed to be in complete control in their pool encounter in Fes, holding a 3-0 lead with just 17 minutes remaining courtesy of goals from their attacking trio.
Yet, a Tunisian defender pulled one back with a powerful header from a Hannibal Mejbri free-kick, igniting hopes of a recovery.
The tension intensified when the North Africans were given a late penalty after a video assistant referee check identified a handball by the Nigerian defender. Ali Abdi calmly slotted home in the dying stages to create a nail-biting finale.
Tunisia were inches away from a stunning equalizer in stoppage time, with captain Ferjani Sassi directing a opportunity just past the post before Ismael Gharbi guided a half-volley past the upright.
Securing Top Spot
The victory ensures that the Super Eagles, champions of the competition on three past instances, move to six group points and are assured top spot in their pool with one game still to be contested.
For the round of 16, they will face a best third-place 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 earlier on Saturday.
The final pool fixtures will see Nigeria remain in Fes to play Uganda on the next matchday, while the Eagles of Carthage travel back to Rabat to confront the Taifa Stars.
An Anxious Finish
The Tunisian defender drilled the ball from the penalty spot to give Tunisia hope of snatching a draw.
Nigeria, finalists in the 2023 tournament, become the next nation after Egypt to reach the next phase, but coach Eric Chelle and supporters will undoubtedly be breathing a sigh of relief.
What seemed set to be a comfortable final quarter morphed into a tense conclusion.
Victor Osimhen had a goal disallowed for an infringement before opening the scoring on the stroke of the interval, precisely placing a header into the far post from an Ademola Lookman delivery.
The advantage was doubled soon in the second period when Wilfred Ndidi climbed above everyone to power home a powerful nod from a Lookman corner.
The number 9 then turned provider his teammate for the seemingly decisive goal, only for Montassar Talbi to steer a header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to begin the comeback.
The key moment came when a looping cross struck the forearm of Bright Osayi-Samuel, with the official pointing to the spot after reviewing the VAR monitor.
Despite Ali Abdi's successful penalty, the 2004 champions ultimately came up just short of completing a remarkable recovery.
Tunisia's destiny is still in their own hands; a draw against Tunisia will be sufficient to secure progression, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be eager to avoid a repeat of the past group-stage exit that led to his previous resignation.
