Nigeria Book Afcon Knockout Spot Despite Fierce Carthage Eagles Comeback
Former African Footballer of the Year the Napoli star was instrumental in his team establish a 3-0 lead, before they were compelled to hold on for a narrow victory.
Nigeria weathered a stunning late rally from their opponents to advance to the knockout stage of the Afcon tournament being held in Morocco.
Jose Peseiro's side appeared to be in complete control in their pool clash in Fes, enjoying a 3-0 lead with just 17 minutes left thanks to strikes from their attacking trio.
Yet, a Tunisian defender reduced the deficit with a powerful header from a Hannibal Mejbri free-kick, igniting hopes of a turnaround.
The tension intensified when Tunisia were awarded a spot-kick after a video assistant referee check spotted a handball by Bright Osayi-Samuel. Ali Abdi calmly slotted home in the dying stages to set up a nail-biting finale.
Tunisia came agonizingly close from a last-gasp leveler in stoppage time, with their skipper heading a chance narrowly wide before a substitute guided a bobbling volley wide of the goal frame.
Securing Top Spot
The victory means that the Super Eagles, champions of the competition on 3 previous occasions, advance to 6 group points and are guaranteed top spot in Group C with one game still to play.
For the round of 16, they will face a best third-place side from either Group A, B or F.
Meanwhile, the 2004 champions stay on 3 group points, with the East African teams locked on a single point each after registering a 1-1 stalemate earlier on Saturday.
The concluding pool fixtures will see the group leaders remain in the city to play Uganda on the next matchday, while Tunisia travel back to the capital to confront the Taifa Stars.
An Anxious Finish
The Tunisian defender drilled home from the penalty spot to offer Tunisia a glimmer of hope of earning a draw.
The Super Eagles, finalists in the 2023 tournament, are the next nation after the Pharaohs to qualify for the knockout stage, but coach Eric Chelle and fans will certainly be breathing a sigh of relief.
What seemed set to be a comfortable final quarter transformed into a tense conclusion.
The prolific striker had a effort disallowed for an infringement before opening the scoring right before the interval, expertly guiding a header into the bottom corner from an Atalanta winger delivery.
The advantage was extended soon in the second half when the Leicester City midfielder rose highest to thump in a powerful nod from a Lookman corner.
Osimhen then turned provider Lookman for the seemingly decisive goal, only for the defender to direct a powerful header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to initiate the fightback.
The pivotal incident arrived when a high ball struck the forearm of the full-back, with the official awarding a penalty after reviewing the pitchside screen.
Despite Ali Abdi's confident conversion, Tunisia ultimately fell short of pulling off a remarkable recovery.
Tunisia's destiny is still in their own hands; a point against Tanzania will be sufficient to see them through, and their coach will be keen to avoid a recurrence of the past early elimination that resulted in his departure.
