The Super Eagles Secure Africa Cup of Nations Knockout Place In Spite of Late Tunisia Fightback

Nigeria survived a stunning late rally from their opponents to advance to the knockout stage of the Afcon tournament being held in Morocco.

The Super Eagles seemed to be in complete control in their pool encounter in the Moroccan city, holding a 3-0 cushion with only 17 minutes left thanks to strikes from their attacking trio.

However, Montassar Talbi reduced the deficit with a powerful header from a Hannibal Mejbri free-kick, igniting hopes of a turnaround.

The drama escalated when the North Africans were given a spot-kick after a video assistant referee check identified a handling offense by Bright Osayi-Samuel. The left-back calmly slotted home in the 87th minute to create a nail-biting conclusion.

Tunisia were inches away from a last-gasp equalizer in stoppage time, with captain Ferjani Sassi heading a chance just past the post before Ismael Gharbi sent a half-volley wide of the goal frame.

Securing First Place

This result means that Nigeria, winners of the tournament on 3 past instances, move to six points and are assured top spot in their pool with a match left to be contested.

In the next round, they will meet a best third-place team from either the other preliminary groups.

Meanwhile, Tunisia remain on three group points, with the East African teams locked on one point after playing out a one-all stalemate earlier on Saturday.

The concluding group fixtures will see Nigeria stay in the city to take on the Cranes on Tuesday, while the Eagles of Carthage return to the capital to confront the Taifa Stars.

An Anxious Finish

Nigeria, runners-up in the 2023 edition, become the second team after Egypt to qualify for the knockout stage, but their manager and fans will certainly be breathing a sigh of relief.

What seemed set to be a straightforward last period morphed into a tense affair.

The prolific striker had a goal ruled out for offside before breaking the deadlock on the stroke of half-time, expertly guiding a glancing effort into the bottom corner from an Ademola Lookman delivery.

The advantage was extended soon in the second half when the Leicester City midfielder climbed above everyone to thump in a powerful nod from a set-piece corner.

The number 9 then set up Lookman for the seemingly decisive goal, before Montassar Talbi to direct a header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to initiate the comeback.

The key incident came 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 successful penalty, Tunisia ultimately fell short of pulling off a remarkable recovery.

Tunisia's destiny remains in their own hands; a draw against Tunisia will be sufficient to see them through, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be keen to avoid a repeat of the 2013 early elimination that led to his previous resignation.