Nigeria Secure Afcon Knockout Spot In Spite of Fierce Tunisia Fightback
Former Continent's Best Player of the Year the Napoli star helped his team build a 3-0 lead, before they were compelled to hold on for a narrow win.
Nigeria weathered a stunning late rally from Tunisia to progress to the knockout stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations taking place in the host nation.
Jose Peseiro's side seemed to be in complete control in their Group C clash in Fes, enjoying a 3-0 cushion with only 17 minutes left thanks to strikes from Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman.
However, Montassar Talbi reduced the deficit with a close-range finish from a Manchester United midfielder set-piece, sparking hopes of a recovery.
The tension escalated when Tunisia were awarded a spot-kick after a video assistant referee review spotted a handball by Bright Osayi-Samuel. The left-back calmly slotted home in the dying stages to create a nail-biting finale.
Tunisia came agonizingly close from a stunning equalizer in stoppage time, with captain Ferjani Sassi directing a opportunity narrowly wide before Ismael Gharbi sent a half-volley wide of the upright.
Securing Top Spot
The victory ensures that Nigeria, winners of the tournament on 3 previous occasions, advance to 6 points and are assured top spot in their pool with one game still to be contested.
In the next round, they will meet a third-placed side from one of Group A, B or F.
In the other match, Tunisia remain on 3 group points, with the East African teams tied on a single point each after registering a one-all draw earlier on Saturday.
The concluding group fixtures will see the group leaders remain in Fes to play the Cranes on the next matchday, while Tunisia travel back to the capital to confront Tanzania.
An Anxious Finish
The Tunisian defender drilled the ball from 12 yards to give his team a glimmer of hope of snatching a point.
Nigeria, finalists in the 2023 edition, are the next team after Egypt to reach the knockout stage, but coach Eric Chelle and fans will undoubtedly be breathing a sigh of relief.
What seemed set to be a straightforward final quarter morphed into a tense conclusion.
The prolific striker had a goal ruled out for offside before opening the scoring right before the interval, precisely placing a glancing effort into the far post from an Atalanta winger delivery.
The lead was extended soon in the second period when Wilfred Ndidi climbed above everyone to power home a header from a Lookman corner.
Osimhen then set up his teammate for the seemingly decisive goal, only for the defender to direct a header past the Nigerian shot-stopper to begin the comeback.
The key incident came when a looping cross struck the forearm of the full-back, with referee Boubou Traore awarding a penalty after reviewing the pitchside screen.
Despite Ali Abdi's confident conversion, Tunisia in the end fell short of completing a remarkable comeback.
Their fate remains in their control; a point against Tunisia will be sufficient to see them through, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be eager to avoid a repeat of the past group-stage exit that led to his previous resignation.
