Nigeria Book Afcon Knockout Spot In Spite of Fierce Carthage Eagles Comeback

The three-time champions weathered a dramatic late rally from their opponents to progress to the last 16 of the Afcon tournament being held in the host nation.

Jose Peseiro's side seemed to be in complete control in their pool encounter in the Moroccan city, holding a 3-0 lead with only a quarter of an hour left courtesy of goals from their attacking trio.

Yet, Montassar Talbi pulled one back with a close-range finish from a Manchester United midfielder set-piece, sparking hopes of a recovery.

The drama intensified when Tunisia were given a spot-kick after a VAR review spotted a handling offense by the Nigerian defender. Ali Abdi calmly slotted home in the dying stages to create a nail-biting finale.

Tunisia were inches away from a stunning equalizer in added time, with their skipper heading a opportunity narrowly wide before a substitute sent a half-volley wide of the upright.

Clinching First Place

The victory means that the Super Eagles, champions of the competition on three previous occasions, move to 6 points and are guaranteed first place in Group C with a match left to play.

For the round of 16, they will face a third-placed side from either the other preliminary groups.

Meanwhile, Tunisia remain on three group points, with Uganda and Tanzania tied on one point after playing out a one-all draw in the day's other fixture.

The concluding group fixtures will see Nigeria remain in the city to play the Cranes on the next matchday, while the Eagles of Carthage travel back to Rabat to face the Taifa Stars.

An Anxious Finish

Nigeria, runners-up in the 2023 edition, become the second team after Egypt to reach the next phase, but coach Eric Chelle and supporters will certainly be breathing a sigh of relief.

What seemed set to be a comfortable final quarter morphed into a nerve-wracking conclusion.

The prolific striker had a effort ruled out for an infringement before breaking the deadlock on the stroke of half-time, precisely placing a header into the far post from an Atalanta winger delivery.

The advantage was doubled early in the second period when the Leicester City midfielder rose highest to thump in a header from a set-piece corner.

Osimhen then set up Lookman for the third goal, before the defender to steer a header past the Nigerian shot-stopper to begin the fightback.

The pivotal moment arrived when a high ball struck the forearm of Bright Osayi-Samuel, with the official pointing to the spot after consulting the pitchside screen.

Despite Ali Abdi's successful penalty, Tunisia ultimately came up just short of pulling off a remarkable comeback.

Tunisia's destiny remains in their own hands; a point against Tanzania will be enough to secure progression, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be eager to avoid a recurrence of the 2013 group-stage exit that led to his departure.