The Super Eagles Book Afcon Knockout Place In Spite of Late Carthage Eagles Fightback
Ex- Continent's Best Player of the Year the Napoli star helped his team build a commanding lead, but the Super Eagles were forced to defend resolutely for a hard-fought victory.
Nigeria survived a dramatic late rally from their opponents to advance to the knockout stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations taking place in Morocco.
The Super Eagles appeared to be in complete control in their pool clash in the Moroccan city, holding a three-goal lead with only a quarter of an hour remaining courtesy of strikes from their attacking trio.
Yet, a Tunisian defender pulled one back with a close-range finish from a Manchester United midfielder set-piece, igniting hopes of a recovery.
The tension intensified when the North Africans were awarded a spot-kick after a video assistant referee review spotted a handling offense by the Nigerian defender. The left-back converted in the dying stages to create a nail-biting finale.
Tunisia came agonizingly close from a last-gasp equalizer in stoppage time, with their skipper directing a opportunity narrowly wide before a substitute sent a half-volley wide of the goal frame.
Securing Top Spot
The victory ensures that the Super Eagles, champions of the tournament on 3 past instances, move to six points and are guaranteed top spot in Group C with a match left to play.
In the next round, they will face a third-placed side from either Group A, B or F.
In the other match, Tunisia remain on 3 group points, with the East African teams locked on a single point each after playing out a one-all stalemate in the day's other fixture.
The concluding group fixtures will see Nigeria remain in the city to take on the Cranes on Tuesday, while Tunisia travel back to the capital to confront the Taifa Stars.
An Anxious Conclusion
Ali Abdi drilled home from 12 yards to give his team a glimmer of hope of snatching a draw.
The Super Eagles, finalists in the previous edition, become the second nation after the Pharaohs to qualify for the knockout stage, but their manager and fans will certainly be breathing a sigh of relief.
What seemed set to be a comfortable last period transformed into a nerve-wracking affair.
Victor Osimhen had a effort ruled out for an infringement before opening the scoring right before the interval, expertly guiding a glancing effort into the bottom corner from an Ademola Lookman delivery.
The advantage was extended early in the second half when the Leicester City midfielder climbed above everyone to power home a header from a set-piece kick.
The number 9 then set up Lookman for the third goal, before Montassar Talbi to direct a header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to begin the comeback.
The pivotal moment arrived when a looping cross struck the forearm of Bright Osayi-Samuel, with referee Boubou Traore awarding a penalty after reviewing the VAR monitor.
Despite Ali Abdi's successful penalty, the 2004 champions ultimately came up just short of completing a stirring comeback.
Their fate is still in their own hands; a draw against Tunisia will be enough to see them through, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be keen to prevent a recurrence of the past early elimination that resulted in his departure.
