Nigeria Secure Afcon Knockout Place In Spite of Fierce Carthage Eagles Comeback
Ex- Continent's Best Player of the Year Victor Osimhen was instrumental in his team establish a 3-0 advantage, before they were forced to hold on for a narrow win.
The three-time champions survived a dramatic late rally from their opponents to advance to the knockout stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations taking place in the host nation.
The Super Eagles seemed to be in complete control in their pool encounter in Fes, enjoying a 3-0 cushion with only 17 minutes remaining thanks to goals from their attacking trio.
Yet, a Tunisian defender pulled one back with a powerful header from a Manchester United midfielder free-kick, igniting hopes of a turnaround.
The tension escalated when Tunisia were awarded a late penalty after a VAR review identified a handball by Bright Osayi-Samuel. The left-back calmly slotted home in the dying stages to set up a frantic finale.
The Carthage Eagles were inches away from a stunning equalizer in stoppage time, with captain Ferjani Sassi heading a opportunity narrowly wide before a substitute guided a bobbling volley wide of the upright.
Clinching Top Spot
The victory means that Nigeria, winners of the competition on three previous occasions, move to six points and are guaranteed first place in Group C with a match left to be contested.
For the round of 16, they will face a third-placed team from either the other preliminary groups.
In the other match, Tunisia remain on 3 points, with Uganda and Tanzania locked on a single point after playing out a one-all stalemate earlier on Saturday.
The final pool fixtures will see the group leaders remain in the city to take on Uganda on the next matchday, while the Eagles of Carthage travel back to the capital to face Tanzania.
An Anxious Finish
Ali Abdi drilled the ball from 12 yards to give his team a glimmer of hope of earning a point.
Nigeria, finalists in the 2023 edition, become the next nation after Egypt to qualify for the next phase, but coach Eric Chelle and supporters will undoubtedly be feeling relieved.
What looked like set to be a comfortable last period transformed into a tense conclusion.
The prolific striker had a effort disallowed for an infringement before breaking the deadlock on the stroke of the interval, expertly guiding a header into the bottom corner from an Atalanta winger delivery.
The lead was doubled soon in the second half when Wilfred Ndidi climbed above everyone to power home a header from a Lookman corner.
The number 9 then set up Lookman for the third goal, before Montassar Talbi to steer a header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to begin the fightback.
The pivotal moment 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 ultimately fell short of completing a remarkable recovery.
Their fate remains in their control; a draw against Tunisia will be sufficient to secure progression, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be keen to prevent a recurrence of the past early elimination that led to his previous resignation.
