The Super Eagles Book Africa Cup of Nations Knockout Spot In Spite of Late Carthage Eagles Fightback
Ex- African Footballer of the Year the Napoli star helped his team establish a commanding lead, but the Super Eagles were forced to defend resolutely for a narrow victory.
The three-time champions survived a dramatic late rally from their opponents to advance to the last 16 of the Afcon tournament taking place in Morocco.
The Super Eagles appeared to be cruising in their Group C clash in the Moroccan city, enjoying a 3-0 lead with only 17 minutes left courtesy of strikes from their attacking trio.
Yet, Montassar Talbi pulled one back with a close-range finish from a Manchester United midfielder free-kick, sparking hopes of a turnaround.
The drama escalated when Tunisia were awarded a late penalty after a VAR check identified a handball by the Nigerian defender. The left-back calmly slotted home in the dying stages to set up a nail-biting conclusion.
Tunisia were inches away from a last-gasp leveler in stoppage time, with captain Ferjani Sassi directing a opportunity just past the post before Ismael Gharbi guided a bobbling volley wide of the upright.
Securing Top Spot
This result means that the Super Eagles, champions of the competition on three past instances, move to 6 group points and are assured first place in their pool with one game still to be contested.
In the next round, they will meet a third-placed team from either Group A, B or F.
In the other match, Tunisia remain on three group points, with the East African teams locked on a single point each after registering a one-all stalemate earlier on Saturday.
The final pool matches will see the group leaders stay in Fes to take on Uganda on Tuesday, while the Eagles of Carthage travel back to Rabat to confront the Taifa Stars.
An Anxious Conclusion
Ali Abdi drilled home from the penalty spot to offer his team hope of snatching a point.
The Super Eagles, finalists in the 2023 tournament, become the second nation after Egypt to qualify for the knockout stage, but their manager and fans will undoubtedly be feeling relieved.
What seemed set to be a straightforward final quarter transformed into a nerve-wracking affair.
Victor Osimhen had a goal disallowed for an infringement before opening the scoring on the stroke of the interval, expertly guiding a glancing effort into the bottom corner from an Ademola Lookman cross.
The lead was extended soon in the second period when Wilfred Ndidi climbed above everyone to power home a powerful nod from a set-piece kick.
The number 9 then set up his teammate for the seemingly decisive goal, only for the defender to steer a header past the Nigerian shot-stopper to initiate the comeback.
The key moment arrived when a high ball struck the forearm of the full-back, with referee Boubou Traore awarding a penalty after reviewing the VAR monitor.
Despite Ali Abdi's confident conversion, Tunisia in the end fell short of completing a remarkable recovery.
Tunisia's destiny remains in their control; a point against Tanzania will be sufficient to secure progression, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be keen to prevent a repeat of the 2013 early elimination that resulted in his previous resignation.
