The Super Eagles Secure Afcon Last 16 Place In Spite of Late Carthage Eagles Comeback
Ex- Continent's Best Player of the Year the Napoli star helped Nigeria establish a commanding lead, before the Super Eagles were forced to hold on for a hard-fought victory.
Nigeria survived a dramatic late rally from Tunisia to advance to the knockout stage of the Afcon tournament taking place in the host nation.
The Super Eagles appeared to be in complete control in their pool clash in Fes, holding a 3-0 lead with only 17 minutes left thanks to strikes from their attacking trio.
However, Montassar Talbi reduced the deficit with a close-range finish from a Manchester United midfielder set-piece, igniting hopes of a turnaround.
The drama intensified when Tunisia were given a late penalty after a video assistant referee review spotted a handball by the Nigerian defender. The left-back converted in the dying stages to create a nail-biting finale.
The Carthage Eagles came agonizingly close from a stunning leveler in added time, with their skipper directing a opportunity narrowly wide before Ismael Gharbi guided a bobbling volley wide of the upright.
Securing Top Spot
The victory ensures that the Super Eagles, champions of the competition on 3 past instances, advance to six points and are assured first place in their pool with one game still to be contested.
For the round of 16, they will face a best third-place side from one of Group A, B or F.
Meanwhile, Tunisia stay on 3 points, with the East African teams tied on a single point each after playing out a 1-1 draw in the day's other fixture.
The final group matches will see the group leaders remain in the city to play Uganda on the next matchday, while the Eagles of Carthage return to Rabat to face Tanzania.
A Nervy Finish
The Tunisian defender drilled the ball from 12 yards to give his team hope of snatching a point.
The Super Eagles, finalists in the previous tournament, become the next nation after the Pharaohs to reach the next phase, but coach Eric Chelle and fans will undoubtedly be breathing a sigh of relief.
What seemed set to be a straightforward final quarter morphed into a tense affair.
Victor Osimhen had a goal ruled out for offside before breaking the deadlock on the stroke of half-time, precisely placing a glancing effort into the bottom corner from an Ademola Lookman cross.
The advantage was doubled soon in the second half when Wilfred Ndidi climbed above everyone to thump in a header from a Lookman corner.
The number 9 then set up Lookman for the seemingly decisive goal, only for Montassar Talbi to direct a powerful header past the Nigerian shot-stopper to begin the comeback.
The key incident arrived when a looping cross struck the forearm of the full-back, with the official pointing to the spot after consulting the pitchside screen.
Despite the defender's confident conversion, the 2004 champions ultimately fell short of completing a remarkable comeback.
Their fate remains in their own hands; a point against Tunisia will be sufficient to secure progression, and their coach will be keen to prevent a repeat of the 2013 group-stage exit that led to his previous resignation.
