The Super Eagles Book Afcon Knockout Spot Despite Late Tunisia Fightback
Former African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen was instrumental in his team establish a commanding advantage, but they were forced to defend resolutely for a narrow win.
The three-time champions weathered a stunning comeback attempt from Tunisia to advance to the knockout stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations taking place in the host nation.
The Super Eagles seemed to be in complete control in their Group C encounter in Fes, enjoying a three-goal lead with only a quarter of an hour remaining thanks to goals from their attacking trio.
Yet, Montassar Talbi pulled one back with a close-range finish from a Manchester United midfielder free-kick, igniting hopes of a recovery.
The tension intensified when the North Africans were given a spot-kick after a video assistant referee review spotted a handling offense by the Nigerian defender. Ali Abdi converted in the dying stages to create a frantic conclusion.
Tunisia came agonizingly close from a last-gasp leveler in added time, with captain Ferjani Sassi directing a chance just past the post before Ismael Gharbi guided a bobbling volley past the upright.
Clinching Top Spot
This result means that the Super Eagles, champions of the competition on 3 past instances, move to 6 group points and are guaranteed first place in their pool with one game left to play.
For the round of 16, they will face a third-placed side from one of Group A, B or F.
Meanwhile, Tunisia stay on 3 points, with the East African teams tied on one point each after registering a 1-1 stalemate earlier on Saturday.
The concluding group matches will see Nigeria stay in Fes to take on Uganda on Tuesday, while the Eagles of Carthage travel back to Rabat to face the Taifa Stars.
A Nervy Conclusion
The Tunisian defender smashed the ball from the penalty spot to give Tunisia a glimmer of hope of earning a point.
The Super Eagles, runners-up in the 2023 tournament, become the next nation after Egypt to qualify for the knockout stage, but coach Eric Chelle and fans will certainly be feeling relieved.
What seemed set to be a straightforward last period morphed into a nerve-wracking affair.
Victor Osimhen had a goal ruled out for offside before opening the scoring on the stroke of half-time, precisely placing a header into the far post from an Ademola Lookman cross.
The advantage was doubled soon in the second period when Wilfred Ndidi climbed above everyone to thump in a powerful nod from a set-piece corner.
The number 9 then turned provider Lookman for the third goal, only for the defender to direct a header past the Nigerian shot-stopper to begin the fightback.
The pivotal moment arrived when a looping cross struck the arm of Bright Osayi-Samuel, with the official pointing to the spot after reviewing the VAR monitor.
Despite Ali Abdi's confident conversion, Tunisia in the end fell short of pulling off a remarkable recovery.
Tunisia's destiny remains in their control; a point against Tunisia will be sufficient to secure progression, and their coach will be keen to prevent a recurrence of the past group-stage exit that led to his departure.