Nigeria Book Africa Cup of Nations Last 16 Spot Despite Fierce Tunisia Comeback
Ex- African Footballer of the Year the Napoli star was instrumental in his team build a commanding lead, but the Super Eagles were forced to defend resolutely for a hard-fought victory.
The three-time champions survived a dramatic comeback attempt from Tunisia to progress to the knockout stage of the Afcon tournament being held in Morocco.
The Super Eagles seemed to be in complete control in their pool clash in Fes, enjoying a 3-0 lead with only 17 minutes left thanks to strikes from their attacking trio.
However, Montassar Talbi reduced the deficit with a close-range finish from a Manchester United midfielder set-piece, sparking hopes of a turnaround.
The drama intensified when the North Africans were given a late penalty after a video assistant referee review identified a handball by Bright Osayi-Samuel. Ali Abdi calmly slotted home in the dying stages to create a frantic conclusion.
The Carthage Eagles were inches away from a last-gasp leveler in added time, with captain Ferjani Sassi heading a chance narrowly wide before Ismael Gharbi guided a bobbling volley wide of the upright.
Clinching First Place
This result ensures that Nigeria, champions of the tournament on three previous occasions, advance to 6 group points and are assured top spot in Group C with a match still to play.
In the next round, they will face a best third-place team from one of Group A, B or F.
Meanwhile, the 2004 champions stay on three group points, with Uganda and Tanzania locked on a single point after playing out a one-all stalemate earlier on Saturday.
The final group fixtures will see Nigeria remain in the city to play Uganda on the next matchday, while Tunisia travel back to the capital to face the Taifa Stars.
A Nervy Finish
The Tunisian defender drilled the ball from 12 yards to offer his team hope of earning a point.
Nigeria, finalists in the previous tournament, are the second nation after Egypt to qualify for the next phase, but coach Eric Chelle and fans will undoubtedly be breathing a sigh of relief.
What seemed set to be a comfortable last period transformed into a nerve-wracking affair.
The prolific striker had a effort disallowed for offside before breaking the deadlock on the stroke of the interval, expertly guiding a header into the bottom corner from an Ademola Lookman cross.
The advantage was doubled soon in the second half when Wilfred Ndidi climbed above everyone to power home a header from a Lookman kick.
Osimhen then set up Lookman for the seemingly decisive goal, only for Montassar Talbi to direct a header past the Nigerian shot-stopper to begin the fightback.
The pivotal moment came when a high ball struck the arm of Bright Osayi-Samuel, with the official pointing to the spot after consulting the VAR monitor.
Despite Ali Abdi's successful penalty, the 2004 champions in the end came up just short of pulling off a stirring comeback.
Tunisia's destiny remains in their own hands; a draw against Tanzania 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.
