Nigeria Book Afcon Last 16 Place Despite Fierce Tunisia Fightback
Ex- African Footballer of the Year the Napoli star helped Nigeria establish a commanding lead, but they were forced to hold on for a narrow win.
The three-time champions weathered a dramatic late rally from Tunisia to progress to the knockout stage of the Afcon tournament being held in the host nation.
The Super Eagles appeared to be cruising in their pool encounter in Fes, holding a three-goal cushion with just a quarter of an hour left thanks to goals from their attacking trio.
Yet, Montassar Talbi pulled one back with a close-range finish from a Hannibal Mejbri free-kick, sparking hopes of a turnaround.
The tension escalated when the North Africans were given a spot-kick after a video assistant referee review spotted a handball by the Nigerian defender. Ali Abdi converted in the 87th minute to set up a frantic finale.
Tunisia came agonizingly close from a stunning leveler in stoppage time, with their skipper heading a chance just past the post before Ismael Gharbi guided a half-volley past the upright.
Securing First Place
This result means that the Super Eagles, winners of the competition on 3 previous occasions, move to six points and are guaranteed first place in Group C with a match still to be contested.
In the next round, they will meet a third-placed side from either the other preliminary groups.
Meanwhile, Tunisia stay on three group points, with the East African teams locked on one point each after registering a 1-1 draw earlier on Saturday.
The final pool matches will see Nigeria remain in Fes to play Uganda on the next matchday, while the Eagles of Carthage return to Rabat to confront the Taifa Stars.
An Anxious Conclusion
The Tunisian defender drilled home from 12 yards to offer his team a glimmer of hope of earning a draw.
Nigeria, finalists in the previous tournament, become the next nation after Egypt to qualify for the next phase, but their manager 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 offside before breaking the deadlock right before half-time, precisely placing a header into the far post from an Atalanta winger delivery.
The advantage was doubled soon in the second period when the Leicester City midfielder climbed above everyone to thump in a header from a Lookman corner.
The number 9 then turned provider Lookman for the seemingly decisive goal, before Montassar Talbi to direct a header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to initiate the fightback.
The pivotal incident came when a high ball struck the forearm of Bright Osayi-Samuel, with the official pointing to the spot after consulting the VAR monitor.
Despite Ali Abdi's successful penalty, the 2004 champions ultimately came up just short of pulling off a remarkable comeback.
Their fate remains in their control; a point against Tanzania will be sufficient to secure progression, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be keen to avoid a repeat of the 2013 group-stage exit that resulted in his previous resignation.
