đŸ”— Share this article Nigeria Book Afcon Knockout Place In Spite of Late Carthage Eagles Fightback Former Continent's Best Player of the Year the Napoli star helped his team build a 3-0 lead, before they were compelled to hold on for a narrow victory. Nigeria weathered a dramatic late rally from their opponents to progress to the last 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations taking place in the host nation. The Super Eagles seemed to be cruising in their pool clash in Fes, holding a three-goal lead with only a quarter of an hour left courtesy of goals from their attacking trio. Yet, Montassar Talbi reduced the deficit with a powerful header from a Manchester United midfielder set-piece, igniting hopes of a turnaround. The drama escalated when Tunisia were awarded a spot-kick after a VAR check spotted a handball by the Nigerian defender. Ali Abdi converted in the dying stages to set up a frantic finale. Tunisia were inches away from a stunning equalizer in added time, with their skipper directing a chance just past the post before Ismael Gharbi sent a half-volley wide of the goal frame. Clinching First Place This result ensures that Nigeria, champions of the tournament on 3 past instances, advance to six points and are guaranteed top spot in Group C with a match still to play. In the next round, they will meet a best third-place team from one of Group A, B or F. Meanwhile, Tunisia stay on 3 group points, with Uganda and Tanzania locked on one point each after registering a 1-1 stalemate in the day's other fixture. The concluding group fixtures will see Nigeria remain in Fes to take on Uganda on Tuesday, while the Eagles of Carthage return to the capital to confront Tanzania. An Anxious Finish Ali Abdi smashed the ball from the penalty spot to offer Tunisia hope of earning a point. The Super Eagles, runners-up in the previous tournament, are the next team after the Pharaohs to qualify for the knockout stage, but their manager and fans will undoubtedly be breathing a sigh of relief. What seemed set to be a comfortable final quarter morphed into a nerve-wracking conclusion. The prolific striker had a goal ruled out for offside before breaking the deadlock on the stroke of the interval, precisely placing a glancing effort into the far post from an Atalanta winger delivery. The advantage was doubled soon in the second half when the Leicester City midfielder climbed above everyone to power home a powerful nod from a set-piece corner. Osimhen then turned provider his teammate for the seemingly decisive goal, before Montassar Talbi to steer a powerful header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to begin the comeback. The pivotal moment came when a high ball hit the arm of the full-back, with the official pointing to the spot after consulting the VAR monitor. Although the defender's successful penalty, the 2004 champions in the end came up just short of pulling off a stirring comeback. Their fate is still in their control; a point against Tunisia will be sufficient to secure progression, and their coach will be eager to avoid a recurrence of the past group-stage exit that led to his departure.