Nigeria Secure Afcon Last 16 Place In Spite of Late Tunisia Comeback
Former African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen was instrumental in Nigeria establish a commanding lead, before they were forced to defend resolutely for a hard-fought victory.
Nigeria weathered a stunning comeback attempt from their opponents to advance to the last 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations taking place in Morocco.
The Super Eagles seemed to be cruising in their Group C encounter in the Moroccan city, holding a 3-0 lead with only 17 minutes left courtesy of goals from their attacking trio.
Yet, Montassar Talbi pulled one back with a close-range finish from a Hannibal Mejbri set-piece, igniting hopes of a turnaround.
The tension escalated when the North Africans were awarded a spot-kick after a VAR review spotted a handball by the Nigerian defender. Ali Abdi converted in the dying stages to create a nail-biting conclusion.
Tunisia were inches away from a last-gasp equalizer in stoppage time, with their skipper directing a chance just past the post before a substitute sent a bobbling volley past the goal frame.
Securing Top Spot
The victory means that Nigeria, champions of the competition on 3 past instances, advance to six points and are assured first place in their pool with one game left to be contested.
For the round of 16, they will face a best third-place side from one of the other preliminary groups.
In the other match, the 2004 champions remain on 3 group points, with the East African teams tied on one point after playing out a one-all draw earlier on Saturday.
The final group fixtures will see Nigeria remain in the city to play the Cranes on Tuesday, while the Eagles of Carthage return to the capital to confront Tanzania.
A Nervy Conclusion
Ali Abdi drilled the ball from the penalty spot to give Tunisia a glimmer of hope of earning a point.
The Super Eagles, runners-up in the previous tournament, are the next team after Egypt to reach the next phase, but coach Eric Chelle and fans will certainly be feeling relieved.
What seemed set to be a straightforward final quarter transformed into a tense affair.
Victor Osimhen had a effort disallowed for offside before breaking the deadlock right before half-time, expertly guiding a glancing effort into the bottom corner from an Atalanta winger delivery.
The lead was doubled early in the second period when the Leicester City midfielder climbed above everyone to thump in a header from a set-piece kick.
Osimhen then turned provider his teammate for the third goal, only for the defender to steer a header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to initiate the comeback.
The pivotal moment arrived when a high ball struck the forearm of the full-back, with referee Boubou Traore awarding a penalty after consulting the VAR monitor.
Although the defender's successful penalty, Tunisia ultimately came up just short of completing a remarkable comeback.
Tunisia's destiny remains in their own hands; a draw against Tanzania will be enough to secure progression, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be keen to prevent a recurrence of the 2013 early elimination that led to his departure.
