Nigeria Book Afcon Knockout Spot Despite Late Tunisia Fightback
Former Continent's Best Player of the Year the Napoli star was instrumental in his team establish a 3-0 advantage, before they were forced to hold on for a hard-fought victory.
The three-time champions weathered a dramatic comeback attempt 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, enjoying a 3-0 lead with just 17 minutes left courtesy of strikes from Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman.
However, a Tunisian defender reduced the deficit with a close-range finish from a Hannibal Mejbri free-kick, igniting hopes of a recovery.
The drama escalated when Tunisia were given a late penalty after a VAR review spotted a handball by Bright Osayi-Samuel. The left-back converted in the 87th minute to set up a nail-biting finale.
The Carthage Eagles came agonizingly close from a last-gasp leveler in added time, with their skipper directing a chance just past the post before a substitute guided a half-volley past the upright.
Clinching First Place
The victory ensures that Nigeria, champions of the competition on 3 past instances, move to six points and are guaranteed first place in their pool with a match left to be contested.
In the next round, they will face a best third-place team from one of the other preliminary groups.
Meanwhile, Tunisia remain on 3 points, with Uganda and Tanzania tied on one point after playing out a 1-1 stalemate earlier on Saturday.
The final pool matches will see Nigeria stay in the city to play the Cranes on Tuesday, while the Eagles of Carthage return to the capital to confront Tanzania.
A Nervy Finish
Ali Abdi smashed the ball from the penalty spot to offer his team hope of earning a point.
Nigeria, finalists in the 2023 edition, become the second nation after Egypt to reach the next phase, but their manager and fans will certainly be feeling relieved.
What looked like set to be a comfortable last period transformed into a nerve-wracking conclusion.
The prolific striker had a effort disallowed for offside before opening the scoring on the stroke of half-time, expertly guiding a header into the far post from an Ademola Lookman delivery.
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 his teammate for the seemingly decisive goal, only for the defender to steer a powerful header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to begin the fightback.
The key incident came when a high ball struck the forearm of the full-back, with referee Boubou Traore pointing to the spot after consulting the pitchside screen.
Despite the defender's successful penalty, the 2004 champions in the end fell short of pulling off a stirring comeback.
Their fate remains in their own hands; a draw against Tanzania will be enough to see them through, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be keen to prevent a repeat of the past early elimination that resulted in his previous resignation.
