The Super Eagles Secure Afcon Knockout Place In Spite of Fierce Carthage Eagles Comeback

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

The Super Eagles seemed to be cruising in their pool encounter in the Moroccan city, enjoying a three-goal lead with just 17 minutes left courtesy of strikes from their attacking trio.

However, a Tunisian defender reduced the deficit with a close-range finish from a Manchester United midfielder free-kick, igniting hopes of a recovery.

The drama escalated when Tunisia were awarded a late penalty after a video assistant referee review identified a handball by the Nigerian defender. The left-back calmly slotted home in the dying stages to create a nail-biting conclusion.

The Carthage Eagles were inches away from a last-gasp equalizer in stoppage time, with captain Ferjani Sassi heading a opportunity narrowly wide before Ismael Gharbi sent a bobbling volley wide of the upright.

Clinching First Place

The victory means that the Super Eagles, champions of the competition on 3 past instances, move to six group points and are assured first place in their pool with one game left to play.

For the round of 16, they will meet a best third-place side from either Group A, B or F.

In the other match, the 2004 champions remain on 3 group points, with the East African teams locked on a single point each after registering a 1-1 stalemate earlier on Saturday.

The final pool fixtures will see the group leaders remain in Fes to play the Cranes on the next matchday, while the Eagles of Carthage travel back to the capital to confront the Taifa Stars.

An Anxious Conclusion

The Super Eagles, finalists in the 2023 tournament, are the next nation after Egypt to reach the knockout stage, but their manager and fans will undoubtedly be breathing a sigh of relief.

What looked like set to be a comfortable final quarter transformed into a tense conclusion.

The prolific striker had a goal ruled out for an infringement before breaking the deadlock on the stroke of half-time, precisely placing a header into the far post from an Atalanta winger cross.

The lead was doubled soon in the second half when the Leicester City midfielder rose highest to thump in a header from a Lookman corner.

Osimhen then set up Lookman for the third goal, before the defender to direct a powerful header past the Nigerian shot-stopper to initiate the comeback.

The pivotal moment came when a looping cross hit the forearm of the full-back, with the official pointing to the spot after reviewing the VAR monitor.

Despite the defender's successful penalty, the 2004 champions in the end fell short of completing a remarkable comeback.

Tunisia's destiny is still in their control; a point against Tanzania will be enough to see them through, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be eager to prevent a recurrence of the past group-stage exit that resulted in his previous resignation.