Nigeria Secure Afcon Last 16 Spot Despite Fierce Tunisia Fightback

The three-time champions weathered a stunning comeback attempt from their opponents to advance to the knockout stage of the Afcon tournament being held in the host nation.

Jose Peseiro's side seemed to be in complete control in their Group C clash in Fes, enjoying a three-goal lead with only a quarter of an hour remaining courtesy of strikes from Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman.

Yet, a Tunisian defender pulled one back with a powerful header from a Manchester United midfielder set-piece, sparking hopes of a turnaround.

The tension escalated when the North Africans were awarded a late penalty after a VAR check spotted a handball by Bright Osayi-Samuel. Ali Abdi calmly slotted home in the 87th minute to set up a frantic finale.

Tunisia were inches away from a stunning equalizer in stoppage time, with captain Ferjani Sassi heading a opportunity just past the post before a substitute guided a bobbling volley wide of the goal frame.

Securing First Place

The victory means that the Super Eagles, champions of the competition on three past instances, advance to 6 group points and are guaranteed top spot in their pool with a match left to play.

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

Meanwhile, the 2004 champions stay on 3 group points, with the East African teams locked on a single point each after registering a 1-1 draw in the day's other fixture.

The concluding pool fixtures will see the group leaders stay in the city to play Uganda on Tuesday, while Tunisia return to Rabat to confront the Taifa Stars.

An Anxious Finish

Nigeria, runners-up in the previous tournament, are the second nation after the Pharaohs to qualify for the next phase, but their manager and fans will undoubtedly be feeling relieved.

What looked like set to be a straightforward final quarter transformed into a tense affair.

Victor Osimhen had a effort disallowed for offside before breaking the deadlock right before half-time, expertly guiding a glancing effort into the far post from an Ademola Lookman delivery.

The lead was doubled early in the second half when the Leicester City midfielder climbed above everyone to thump in a powerful nod from a Lookman corner.

The number 9 then set up his teammate for the third goal, before the defender to steer a header past the Nigerian shot-stopper to initiate the comeback.

The pivotal moment came when a high ball hit the forearm of the full-back, with the official pointing to the spot after consulting the VAR monitor.

Despite Ali Abdi's confident conversion, the 2004 champions in the end came up just short of completing a stirring recovery.

Their fate remains in their control; a point against Tunisia will be enough to see them through, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be keen to avoid a recurrence of the 2013 group-stage exit that resulted in his departure.