Nigeria Book Afcon Last 16 Spot In Spite of Late Carthage Eagles Fightback
Former Continent's Best Player of the Year the Napoli star helped his team establish a 3-0 lead, but the Super Eagles were forced to defend resolutely for a hard-fought win.
Nigeria weathered a stunning late rally from their opponents to progress to the last 16 of the Afcon tournament being held in Morocco.
The Super Eagles seemed to be in complete control in their pool clash in Fes, holding a three-goal cushion with only a quarter of an hour remaining courtesy of goals from their attacking trio.
Yet, Montassar Talbi pulled one back with a powerful header from a Manchester United midfielder free-kick, igniting hopes of a recovery.
The tension escalated when the North Africans were given a spot-kick after a VAR check spotted a handball by the Nigerian defender. Ali Abdi converted in the dying stages to set up a frantic conclusion.
Tunisia came agonizingly close from a last-gasp leveler in added time, with captain Ferjani Sassi heading a opportunity just past the post before a substitute guided a bobbling volley past the goal frame.
Securing Top Spot
This result ensures that the Super Eagles, winners of the competition on three past instances, advance to six group points and are guaranteed top spot in Group C with a match left to be contested.
For the round of 16, they will meet a best third-place team from one of the other preliminary groups.
In the other match, the 2004 champions stay on 3 points, with Uganda and Tanzania locked on a single point each after registering a 1-1 draw earlier on Saturday.
The final group fixtures will see Nigeria stay in Fes to take on Uganda on Tuesday, while Tunisia return to Rabat to face Tanzania.
An Anxious Conclusion
The Tunisian defender drilled the ball from the penalty spot to offer Tunisia a glimmer of hope of earning a point.
Nigeria, runners-up in the 2023 edition, are the second team after Egypt to qualify for the next phase, but their manager and fans will certainly be breathing a sigh of relief.
What seemed set to be a comfortable last period transformed into a tense affair.
The prolific striker had a effort ruled out for offside before breaking the deadlock right before half-time, precisely placing a header into the far post from an Atalanta winger delivery.
The lead was extended early in the second period when Wilfred Ndidi climbed above everyone to thump in a powerful nod from a set-piece kick.
The number 9 then turned provider his teammate for the third goal, before Montassar Talbi to steer a powerful header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to initiate the comeback.
The key incident arrived when a looping cross struck the arm of the full-back, with the official awarding a penalty after reviewing the VAR monitor.
Although the defender's confident conversion, the 2004 champions ultimately came up just short of completing a remarkable comeback.
Tunisia's destiny remains in their control; a draw against Tunisia will be sufficient to secure progression, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be eager to avoid a recurrence of the past group-stage exit that resulted in his departure.
