Super Eagles hold off late Tunisia pressure to secure passage into the last 16.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria booked their place in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations after edging past a spirited Tunisia side in a five-goal thriller, surviving a nervy late fightback from the Carthage Eagles in a 3-2 win.
Ademola Lookman was the standout performer on the night, having a hand in all three Nigeria goals, providing two assists and scoring the other in a dominant attacking display.
Nigeria took the lead three minutes to the end of the first half when Victor Osimhen rose highest to head home a beautiful teasing cross from Lookman, giving the Super Eagles a deserved advantage at the break.
Five minutes after the restart, Lookman turned provider again, this time laying the ball off for Wilfred Ndidi, who made no mistake as he doubled Nigeria’s lead to put them firmly in control.
As Tunisia pushed forward in search of a way back into the contest, Osimhen found himself behind the Tunisian defence and clean through on goal. In an unselfish moment, the Galatasaray striker cut the ball back to Lookman, who calmly slotted past the goalkeeper and covering defenders to give Nigeria a commanding 3-0 lead.
With the scoreline appearing beyond reach, Tunisia refused to go down without a fight. Montassar Talbi pulled one back for the Carthage Eagles in the 74th minute, glancing home a header from a Mejbri Hannibal free kick to spark hope of a comeback.
Drama followed late in the game as Tunisia were awarded a penalty after a VAR review ruled that Bright Osayi-Samuel had handled the ball inside the box. Ali Abdi stepped up and converted with three minutes remaining, reducing the deficit to just one goal.
Tunisia threw everything forward in the closing stages, piling on the pressure in search of an equaliser, but Nigeria stood their ground and repelled all late danger to secure their second win of the tournament and confirm their passage into the last 16 of this year’s Africa Cup of Nations.
This results put Nigeria firmly in control in Group C. The three-time AFCON champions sit comfortably in first place with 6 points. Tunisia follows with 3 while Tanzania and Uganda have a point apiece.