The Super Eagles Secure Afcon Last 16 Spot Despite Late Tunisia Fightback
Former African Footballer of the Year the Napoli star helped Nigeria establish a commanding lead, but they were forced to defend resolutely for a hard-fought win.
The three-time champions weathered a dramatic late rally from their opponents to progress 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 clash in Fes, holding a 3-0 lead with only 17 minutes remaining courtesy of 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 turnaround.
The tension escalated when the North Africans were awarded a spot-kick after a VAR review spotted a handball by Bright Osayi-Samuel. The left-back converted in the dying stages to create a nail-biting conclusion.
Tunisia were inches away from a stunning equalizer in added time, with captain Ferjani Sassi heading a opportunity narrowly wide before Ismael Gharbi guided a half-volley past the goal frame.
Clinching Top Spot
This result ensures that Nigeria, winners of the competition on 3 previous occasions, advance to 6 points and are assured top spot in Group C with a match left to be contested.
In the next round, they will meet a third-placed side from one of the other preliminary groups.
Meanwhile, Tunisia remain on 3 group points, with Uganda and Tanzania tied on one point each after playing out a 1-1 draw earlier on Saturday.
The final pool fixtures will see Nigeria remain in Fes to play the Cranes on Tuesday, while the Eagles of Carthage return to Rabat to face the Taifa Stars.
A Nervy Finish
The Tunisian defender smashed home from 12 yards to give his team a glimmer of hope of earning a draw.
The Super Eagles, finalists in the 2023 edition, are the next nation after the Pharaohs to reach the next phase, but coach Eric Chelle and fans will undoubtedly be breathing a sigh of relief.
What looked like set to be a straightforward last period morphed into a nerve-wracking affair.
The prolific striker had a goal disallowed for an infringement before opening the scoring right before the interval, expertly guiding a header into the far post from an Ademola Lookman delivery.
The advantage was doubled soon in the second period when the Leicester City midfielder rose highest to thump in a header from a set-piece corner.
Osimhen then set up Lookman for the seemingly decisive goal, only for Montassar Talbi to direct a powerful header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to begin the fightback.
The pivotal moment arrived when a high ball hit the arm of Bright Osayi-Samuel, with referee Boubou Traore awarding a penalty after consulting the VAR monitor.
Although the defender's successful penalty, Tunisia in the end fell short of completing a stirring comeback.
Tunisia's destiny is still in their own hands; a point against Tunisia will be sufficient to see them through, and their coach will be keen to prevent a recurrence of the past group-stage exit that led to his previous resignation.
