The Super Eagles Secure Afcon Last 16 Place In Spite of Fierce Carthage Eagles Fightback

Nigeria survived a dramatic comeback attempt from Tunisia to advance to the last 16 of the Afcon tournament taking place in the host nation.

The Super Eagles seemed to be in complete control in their pool encounter in Fes, holding a 3-0 cushion with just a quarter of an hour left courtesy of strikes from Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman.

Yet, Montassar Talbi reduced the deficit with a close-range finish from a Manchester United midfielder free-kick, igniting hopes of a turnaround.

The drama intensified when the North Africans were given a late penalty after a video assistant referee check identified a handball by Bright Osayi-Samuel. The left-back converted in the dying stages to create a frantic conclusion.

The Carthage Eagles were inches away from a stunning equalizer in added time, with captain Ferjani Sassi heading a chance just past the post before Ismael Gharbi guided a bobbling volley wide of the upright.

Securing Top Spot

This result means that the Super Eagles, winners of the tournament on 3 past instances, move to six group points and are guaranteed top spot in their pool with a match still to play.

For the round of 16, they will meet a third-placed side from either Group A, B or F.

Meanwhile, Tunisia remain on three points, with Uganda and Tanzania tied on one point after registering a 1-1 draw earlier on Saturday.

The concluding group fixtures will see the group leaders remain in the city to play the Cranes on Tuesday, while Tunisia return to the capital to confront Tanzania.

An Anxious Finish

Nigeria, finalists in the 2023 tournament, become the next nation after Egypt to qualify for the knockout stage, but their manager and supporters will certainly be breathing a sigh of relief.

What looked like set to be a straightforward last period morphed into a nerve-wracking conclusion.

The prolific striker had a effort ruled out for an infringement before opening the scoring right before the interval, precisely placing a header into the bottom corner from an Atalanta winger cross.

The lead was extended soon in the second half when the Leicester City midfielder rose highest to thump in a powerful nod from a Lookman kick.

Osimhen then turned provider Lookman for the third goal, only for the defender to steer a powerful header past the Nigerian shot-stopper to initiate the comeback.

The key incident arrived when a high ball hit the arm of the full-back, with the official awarding a penalty after reviewing the VAR monitor.

Although Ali Abdi's successful penalty, the 2004 champions ultimately came up just short of completing a remarkable recovery.

Their fate is still in their own hands; 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 departure.