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Nigeria Book Afcon Knockout Place Despite Fierce Tunisia Fightback
Former Continent's Best Player of the Year the Napoli star was instrumental in his team establish a 3-0 lead, before the Super Eagles were forced to defend resolutely for a narrow victory.
The three-time champions survived a stunning late rally from Tunisia to progress to the knockout stage of the Afcon tournament being held in the host nation.
The Super Eagles seemed to be cruising in their Group C clash in the Moroccan city, enjoying a 3-0 cushion with only 17 minutes left thanks to strikes from Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman.
Yet, Montassar Talbi reduced the deficit with a powerful header from a Hannibal Mejbri set-piece, sparking hopes of a recovery.
The drama intensified when Tunisia were awarded a spot-kick after a video assistant referee review identified a handball by the Nigerian defender. Ali Abdi calmly slotted home in the 87th minute to set up a frantic finale.
Tunisia were inches away from a last-gasp equalizer in added time, with captain Ferjani Sassi directing a opportunity just past the post before Ismael Gharbi sent a bobbling volley past the upright.
Securing First Place
The victory ensures that the Super Eagles, winners of the tournament on 3 past instances, advance to 6 points and are assured first place in their pool with one game left to be contested.
For the round of 16, they will meet a best third-place side from either the other preliminary groups.
In the other match, the 2004 champions stay on three points, with the East African teams locked on a single point after registering a 1-1 stalemate in the day's other fixture.
The final group matches will see Nigeria stay in Fes to take on the Cranes on Tuesday, while Tunisia travel back to Rabat to face the Taifa Stars.
A Nervy Finish
Ali Abdi smashed home from the penalty spot to offer Tunisia hope of snatching a point.
The Super Eagles, finalists in the previous tournament, are the next nation after Egypt to qualify for the next phase, but coach Eric Chelle and supporters will undoubtedly be feeling relieved.
What seemed set to be a straightforward last period transformed into a nerve-wracking affair.
The prolific striker had a effort ruled out for offside before breaking the deadlock on the stroke of half-time, precisely placing a header into the bottom corner from an Atalanta winger delivery.
The lead was doubled early in the second half when Wilfred Ndidi rose highest to thump in a header from a set-piece corner.
Osimhen then set up his teammate for the seemingly decisive goal, only for Montassar Talbi to direct a powerful header past the Nigerian shot-stopper to initiate the fightback.
The key moment arrived when a high ball hit the arm of the full-back, with the official pointing to the spot after reviewing the VAR monitor.
Although Ali Abdi's confident conversion, the 2004 champions in the end came up just short of completing a remarkable comeback.
Tunisia's destiny remains in their own hands; a draw against Tanzania will be sufficient to see them through, and their coach will be eager to avoid a repeat of the 2013 early elimination that led to his previous resignation.
Robert Martin
A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in online casinos, specializing in strategy guides and industry trends.
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