Nigeria Book Africa Cup of Nations Last 16 Place In Spite of Late Carthage Eagles Comeback
Ex- Continent's Best Player of the Year Victor Osimhen was instrumental in his team establish a commanding lead, before the Super Eagles were forced to hold on for a hard-fought win.
Nigeria weathered a dramatic comeback attempt from their opponents to progress to the knockout stage of the Afcon tournament taking place in Morocco.
Jose Peseiro's side seemed to be in complete control in their pool encounter in the Moroccan city, holding a three-goal lead with only a quarter of an hour left thanks to goals from their attacking trio.
Yet, a Tunisian defender pulled one back with a powerful header from a Manchester United midfielder set-piece, sparking hopes of a turnaround.
The tension intensified when Tunisia were awarded a spot-kick after a VAR review identified a handball by the Nigerian defender. Ali Abdi calmly slotted home in the dying stages to set up a frantic finale.
The Carthage Eagles were inches away from a last-gasp equalizer in added time, with their skipper heading a chance narrowly wide before a substitute sent a half-volley wide of the upright.
Securing Top Spot
The victory ensures that Nigeria, winners of the tournament on three previous occasions, advance to six group points and are guaranteed top spot in Group C with a match still to play.
For the round of 16, they will meet a best third-place team from one of Group A, B or F.
In the other match, the 2004 champions stay on three group points, with the East African teams locked on a single point each after registering a one-all stalemate earlier on Saturday.
The final pool matches will see Nigeria stay in the city to play Uganda on Tuesday, while Tunisia return to the capital to confront Tanzania.
An Anxious Finish
The Tunisian defender smashed the ball from 12 yards to give Tunisia a glimmer of hope of earning a draw.
Nigeria, runners-up in the 2023 edition, become the next nation after Egypt to reach the next phase, but coach Eric Chelle and supporters will undoubtedly be feeling relieved.
What looked like set to be a comfortable final quarter transformed into a tense affair.
Victor Osimhen had a effort disallowed for offside before opening the scoring right before the interval, expertly guiding a glancing effort into the bottom corner from an Ademola Lookman cross.
The lead was extended soon in the second half when Wilfred Ndidi rose highest to thump in a powerful nod from a set-piece corner.
The number 9 then set up his teammate for the third goal, only for Montassar Talbi to direct a header past the Nigerian shot-stopper to begin the comeback.
The key incident came when a high ball 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 fell short of completing a stirring recovery.
Tunisia's destiny remains in their control; a point against Tunisia will be enough to secure progression, and their coach will be keen to avoid a repeat of the 2013 group-stage exit that led to his previous resignation.
