Nigeria Secure Africa Cup of Nations Knockout Spot Despite Fierce Tunisia Fightback
Former Continent's Best Player of the Year Victor Osimhen was instrumental in his team establish a commanding lead, but the Super Eagles were compelled to defend resolutely for a hard-fought victory.
The three-time champions weathered a dramatic comeback attempt from their opponents to advance to the last 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations being held in Morocco.
Jose Peseiro's side seemed to be cruising in their Group C clash in the Moroccan city, enjoying a three-goal cushion with only a quarter of an hour left thanks to goals from Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman.
However, Montassar Talbi pulled one back with a close-range finish from a Manchester United midfielder set-piece, igniting hopes of a recovery.
The drama escalated when Tunisia were awarded a late penalty after a VAR check spotted a handball by Bright Osayi-Samuel. Ali Abdi converted in the dying stages to create a nail-biting conclusion.
The Carthage Eagles were inches away from a stunning leveler in added time, with captain Ferjani Sassi directing a chance narrowly wide before Ismael Gharbi sent a half-volley past the upright.
Securing First Place
The victory means that Nigeria, champions of the tournament on 3 past instances, advance to 6 points and are guaranteed first place in their pool with a match left to play.
For the round of 16, they will face a third-placed side from one of the other preliminary groups.
Meanwhile, Tunisia stay on three points, with Uganda and Tanzania tied on a single point after registering a one-all stalemate in the day's other fixture.
The concluding pool fixtures will see the group leaders stay in Fes to take on Uganda on the next matchday, while the Eagles of Carthage travel back to Rabat to face Tanzania.
An Anxious Finish
The Tunisian defender smashed the ball from 12 yards to offer Tunisia hope of earning a point.
The Super Eagles, finalists in the 2023 edition, are the second nation after the Pharaohs to reach the knockout stage, but coach Eric Chelle and supporters will certainly be feeling relieved.
What looked like set to be a comfortable last period transformed into a nerve-wracking conclusion.
The prolific striker had a effort ruled out for an infringement before opening the scoring on the stroke of half-time, precisely placing a header into the bottom corner from an Ademola Lookman cross.
The lead was doubled early in the second half when Wilfred Ndidi rose highest to power home a header from a Lookman corner.
The number 9 then set up Lookman for the seemingly decisive goal, only for the defender to direct a header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to initiate the comeback.
The pivotal incident arrived when a looping cross struck the arm of Bright Osayi-Samuel, 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 stirring recovery.
Tunisia's destiny is still in their control; a point against Tunisia will be sufficient to see them through, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be keen to avoid a repeat of the past group-stage exit that resulted in his previous resignation.