The Super Eagles Book Afcon Knockout Place Despite Late Carthage Eagles Fightback
Former Continent's Best Player of the Year Victor Osimhen was instrumental in Nigeria establish a commanding advantage, but they were forced to hold on for a narrow victory.
Nigeria survived a dramatic late rally from Tunisia to advance to the last 16 of the Afcon tournament taking place in the host nation.
The Super Eagles appeared to be in complete control in their pool encounter in Fes, holding a three-goal lead with only 17 minutes left thanks to 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 the North Africans were given a late penalty after a VAR check identified a handball by the Nigerian defender. Ali Abdi converted in the 87th minute to create a nail-biting conclusion.
Tunisia were inches away from a stunning equalizer in added time, with their skipper heading a opportunity narrowly wide before Ismael Gharbi guided a half-volley wide of the goal frame.
Clinching Top Spot
The victory means that the Super Eagles, winners of the tournament on 3 previous occasions, move to 6 group points and are guaranteed first place in Group C with a match left to play.
For the round of 16, they will meet a best third-place team from either Group A, B or F.
Meanwhile, Tunisia stay on 3 group points, with Uganda and Tanzania locked on a single point after playing out a one-all draw earlier on Saturday.
The concluding group fixtures will see the group leaders stay in Fes to take on Uganda on the next matchday, while Tunisia travel back to Rabat to face the Taifa Stars.
An Anxious Conclusion
Ali Abdi drilled the ball from 12 yards to offer his team hope of snatching a point.
The Super Eagles, runners-up in the previous edition, are the second team after Egypt to reach the knockout stage, but their manager and supporters will undoubtedly be feeling relieved.
What seemed set to be a straightforward final quarter morphed into a nerve-wracking affair.
The prolific striker had a effort disallowed for an infringement before opening the scoring right before the interval, precisely placing a glancing effort into the bottom corner from an Ademola Lookman delivery.
The lead was doubled early in the second half when Wilfred Ndidi climbed above everyone to power home a powerful nod from a set-piece kick.
The number 9 then set up Lookman for the seemingly decisive goal, before the defender to direct a powerful header past the Nigerian shot-stopper to begin 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, Tunisia in the end came up just short of pulling off a remarkable recovery.
Tunisia's destiny is still in their control; a point against Tanzania will be sufficient to see them through, and their coach will be keen to prevent a repeat of the 2013 early elimination that resulted in his departure.
