Nigeria Secure Afcon Knockout Spot Despite Late Carthage Eagles Comeback
Ex- African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen helped Nigeria build a commanding lead, before they were forced to defend resolutely for a narrow win.
Nigeria weathered a stunning comeback attempt from Tunisia to advance to the knockout stage of the Afcon tournament being held in Morocco.
The Super Eagles seemed to be in complete control in their Group C encounter in the Moroccan city, holding a three-goal cushion with just a quarter of an hour remaining courtesy of strikes from Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman.
Yet, Montassar Talbi reduced the deficit with a powerful header from a Manchester United midfielder set-piece, sparking hopes of a recovery.
The tension intensified when Tunisia were given a spot-kick after a VAR review spotted a handball by the Nigerian defender. The left-back calmly slotted home in the 87th minute to set up a frantic finale.
The Carthage Eagles were inches away from a stunning leveler in added time, with captain Ferjani Sassi directing a chance narrowly wide before Ismael Gharbi sent a bobbling volley past the upright.
Securing First Place
The victory ensures that the Super Eagles, winners of the tournament on 3 past instances, move to 6 points and are assured top spot in their pool with a match left to play.
For the round of 16, they will face a third-placed side from either the other preliminary groups.
In the other match, the 2004 champions stay on 3 points, with the East African teams locked on one point after playing out a one-all draw in the day's other fixture.
The final group matches will see Nigeria remain in Fes to take on Uganda on Tuesday, while the Eagles of Carthage return to the capital to confront Tanzania.
A Nervy Conclusion
The Tunisian defender drilled the ball from 12 yards to offer Tunisia hope of snatching a point.
The Super Eagles, runners-up in the 2023 edition, become the second nation after the Pharaohs to reach the knockout stage, but their manager and supporters will undoubtedly be breathing a sigh of relief.
What seemed set to be a comfortable last period morphed into a nerve-wracking affair.
The prolific striker had a effort ruled out for offside before opening the scoring on the stroke of the interval, expertly guiding a header into the far post from an Atalanta winger cross.
The advantage was doubled soon in the second period when Wilfred Ndidi climbed above everyone to thump in a header from a set-piece corner.
Osimhen then turned provider Lookman for the third goal, only for Montassar Talbi to direct a powerful header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to initiate the comeback.
The pivotal moment came when a high ball struck the arm of the full-back, with referee Boubou Traore awarding a penalty after reviewing the VAR monitor.
Although Ali Abdi's successful penalty, the 2004 champions in the end fell short of completing a remarkable recovery.
Their fate remains in their control; a point against Tunisia will be sufficient to see them through, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be eager to prevent a recurrence of the 2013 group-stage exit that resulted in his previous resignation.
