Nigeria Secure Africa Cup of Nations Knockout Place In Spite of Late Carthage Eagles Fightback
Ex- Continent's Best Player of the Year the Napoli star was instrumental in Nigeria establish a commanding lead, but they were compelled to hold on for a narrow victory.
Nigeria survived a stunning late rally from their opponents to advance to the last 16 of the Afcon tournament taking place in the host nation.
The Super Eagles seemed to be cruising in their pool clash in Fes, enjoying a three-goal cushion with just a quarter of an hour remaining thanks to strikes 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, sparking hopes of a recovery.
The tension intensified when the North Africans were given a late penalty after a VAR check spotted a handling offense by the Nigerian defender. Ali Abdi calmly slotted home in the dying stages to set up a nail-biting conclusion.
The Carthage Eagles were inches away from a last-gasp leveler in added time, with captain Ferjani Sassi directing a chance just past the post before Ismael Gharbi guided a half-volley wide of the goal frame.
Clinching Top Spot
The victory means that Nigeria, winners of the tournament on three past instances, advance to 6 group points and are guaranteed first place in their pool with one game left to be contested.
In the next round, they will face a best third-place side from either Group A, B or F.
Meanwhile, the 2004 champions stay on three points, with Uganda and Tanzania locked on one point after registering a one-all stalemate earlier on Saturday.
The final pool fixtures will see Nigeria stay in Fes to play the Cranes on Tuesday, while the Eagles of Carthage travel back to the capital to confront Tanzania.
An Anxious Conclusion
Ali Abdi smashed home from the penalty spot to offer his team a glimmer of hope of earning a point.
The Super Eagles, finalists in the 2023 edition, become the second nation after the Pharaohs to qualify for the next phase, but coach Eric Chelle and supporters will undoubtedly be breathing a sigh of relief.
What seemed set to be a straightforward final quarter morphed into a nerve-wracking affair.
The prolific striker had a goal ruled out for an infringement before breaking the deadlock right before half-time, precisely placing a header into the bottom corner from an Ademola Lookman cross.
The advantage was extended early in the second period when the Leicester City midfielder climbed above everyone to power home a powerful nod from a set-piece kick.
Osimhen then turned provider Lookman for the third goal, only for the defender to direct a powerful header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to begin the comeback.
The key incident came when a looping cross hit the arm of Bright Osayi-Samuel, with referee Boubou Traore awarding a penalty after reviewing the pitchside screen.
Despite the defender's confident conversion, Tunisia in the end fell short of completing a remarkable comeback.
Their fate is still in their own hands; a point against Tunisia will be enough 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.
