The Super Eagles Book Afcon Knockout Place Despite Fierce Carthage Eagles Comeback
Ex- African Footballer of the Year the Napoli star was instrumental in his team build a commanding advantage, before the Super Eagles were compelled to hold on for a hard-fought victory.
Nigeria survived a stunning comeback attempt from their opponents to progress to the knockout stage of the Afcon tournament taking place in the host nation.
The Super Eagles seemed to be in complete control in their pool encounter in the Moroccan city, enjoying a three-goal lead with just a quarter of an hour remaining courtesy of goals from Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman.
Yet, a Tunisian defender reduced the deficit with a close-range finish from a Hannibal Mejbri set-piece, igniting hopes of a turnaround.
The tension intensified when Tunisia were awarded a spot-kick after a video assistant referee check identified a handball by the Nigerian defender. The left-back converted in the dying stages to set up a frantic conclusion.
Tunisia were inches away from a stunning equalizer in stoppage time, with captain Ferjani Sassi heading a opportunity narrowly wide before Ismael Gharbi sent a half-volley wide of the goal frame.
Clinching First Place
The victory ensures that the Super Eagles, champions of the competition on 3 past instances, advance to six points and are guaranteed top spot in Group C with one game left to play.
In the next round, they will meet a best third-place team from either the other preliminary groups.
In the other match, Tunisia stay on three points, with Uganda and Tanzania locked on a single point after registering a 1-1 stalemate earlier on Saturday.
The final group fixtures will see the group leaders remain in Fes to play Uganda on the next matchday, while the Eagles of Carthage return to Rabat to face Tanzania.
A Nervy Finish
The Tunisian defender smashed the ball from 12 yards to offer Tunisia hope of earning a point.
The Super Eagles, runners-up in the previous edition, are the next nation after the Pharaohs to reach the knockout stage, but coach Eric Chelle and supporters will undoubtedly be feeling relieved.
What looked like set to be a straightforward last period morphed into a nerve-wracking affair.
Victor Osimhen had a effort ruled out for an infringement before breaking the deadlock on the stroke of the interval, expertly guiding a glancing effort into the bottom corner from an Atalanta winger delivery.
The lead was extended early in the second half when Wilfred Ndidi climbed above everyone to power home a powerful nod from a Lookman corner.
Osimhen then turned provider his teammate for the third goal, only for the defender to steer a powerful header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to initiate the comeback.
The key moment arrived when a high ball hit the forearm of the full-back, with referee Boubou Traore awarding a penalty after reviewing the VAR monitor.
Despite Ali Abdi's confident conversion, the 2004 champions in the end came up just short of pulling off a remarkable comeback.
Their fate remains in their control; a draw against Tanzania will be sufficient to see them through, and their coach will be eager to prevent a recurrence of the past group-stage exit that led to his previous resignation.
