Nigeria Secure Afcon Last 16 Place In Spite of Late Carthage Eagles Fightback
Ex- African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen helped his team establish a commanding lead, but the Super Eagles were forced to hold on for a narrow win.
The three-time champions weathered a stunning comeback attempt from their opponents to progress to the last 16 of the Afcon tournament being held in Morocco.
The Super Eagles appeared to be in complete control in their pool encounter in Fes, holding a three-goal lead with only a quarter of an hour left thanks to goals from their attacking trio.
Yet, Montassar Talbi reduced the deficit with a close-range finish from a Hannibal Mejbri free-kick, sparking hopes of a turnaround.
The drama intensified when Tunisia were awarded a spot-kick after a VAR check spotted a handball by Bright Osayi-Samuel. Ali Abdi converted in the 87th minute to create a nail-biting conclusion.
The Carthage Eagles came agonizingly close from a stunning leveler in added time, with their skipper directing a chance just past the post before Ismael Gharbi guided a half-volley wide of the goal frame.
Securing First Place
This result ensures that Nigeria, champions of the competition on 3 past instances, advance to 6 group points and are guaranteed first place in Group C with one game left to play.
For the round of 16, they will meet a best third-place side from either the other preliminary groups.
Meanwhile, Tunisia remain on 3 points, with Uganda and Tanzania tied on a single point after playing out a 1-1 stalemate earlier on Saturday.
The final group matches will see Nigeria stay in the city to take on the Cranes on Tuesday, while the Eagles of Carthage travel back to Rabat to face Tanzania.
A Nervy Finish
The Tunisian defender smashed the ball from 12 yards to offer his team a glimmer of hope of snatching a point.
The Super Eagles, runners-up in the previous edition, are the second nation after Egypt to reach the knockout stage, but their manager and fans will undoubtedly be breathing a sigh of relief.
What looked like set to be a comfortable final quarter morphed into a tense affair.
Victor Osimhen had a goal ruled out for an infringement before breaking the deadlock right before half-time, precisely placing a glancing effort into the bottom corner from an Atalanta winger delivery.
The advantage was doubled early in the second half when the Leicester City midfielder climbed above everyone to power home a powerful nod from a Lookman corner.
Osimhen then turned provider his teammate for the third goal, only for the defender to direct a header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to begin the fightback.
The pivotal incident arrived when a high ball hit the forearm of the full-back, with referee Boubou Traore pointing to the spot after reviewing the pitchside screen.
Although Ali Abdi's successful penalty, Tunisia in the end came up just short of completing a stirring recovery.
Tunisia's destiny remains in their control; a draw against Tunisia will be sufficient to see them through, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be keen to avoid a repeat of the 2013 early elimination that led to his previous resignation.
