🔗 Share this article The Super Eagles Book Afcon Knockout Spot In Spite of Fierce Carthage Eagles Comeback Ex- African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen was instrumental in Nigeria establish a commanding lead, but the Super Eagles were forced to defend resolutely for a hard-fought victory. The three-time champions weathered a dramatic comeback attempt from Tunisia to advance to the knockout stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations being held in Morocco. The Super Eagles seemed to be cruising in their Group C encounter in Fes, holding a three-goal lead with only 17 minutes remaining courtesy of strikes from Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman. Yet, Montassar Talbi pulled one back with a close-range finish from a Hannibal Mejbri set-piece, sparking hopes of a turnaround. The drama escalated when Tunisia were given a spot-kick after a video assistant referee check spotted a handball by Bright Osayi-Samuel. Ali Abdi calmly slotted home in the 87th minute to create a nail-biting conclusion. The Carthage Eagles came agonizingly close from a last-gasp leveler in added time, with captain Ferjani Sassi directing a chance narrowly wide before Ismael Gharbi sent a half-volley past the upright. Securing First Place The victory means that Nigeria, winners of the competition on three past instances, advance to 6 group points and are assured first place in their pool with one game still to be contested. In the next round, 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 points, with Uganda and Tanzania locked on one point after playing out a 1-1 draw in the day's other fixture. The concluding group fixtures will see the group leaders stay in Fes to take on the Cranes on the next matchday, while the Eagles of Carthage return to Rabat to face the Taifa Stars. A Nervy Conclusion Ali Abdi smashed the ball from the penalty spot to give Tunisia a glimmer of hope of earning a point. The Super Eagles, finalists in the 2023 edition, are the second nation after the Pharaohs to reach the next phase, but coach Eric Chelle and supporters will certainly be feeling relieved. What seemed set to be a straightforward final quarter morphed into a nerve-wracking affair. Victor Osimhen had a goal ruled out for an infringement before opening the scoring on the stroke of the interval, precisely placing a glancing effort into the bottom corner from an Atalanta winger delivery. The advantage was doubled early in the second period when the Leicester City midfielder climbed above everyone to thump in a powerful nod from a set-piece kick. The number 9 then turned provider Lookman for the third goal, before the defender to steer a header past the Nigerian shot-stopper to begin the comeback. The pivotal incident came when a looping cross hit the forearm of the full-back, with the official awarding a penalty after reviewing the VAR monitor. Despite the defender's confident conversion, Tunisia ultimately fell short of completing a stirring recovery. Their fate remains in their control; a draw against Tanzania will be sufficient to see them through, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be keen to prevent a repeat of the past group-stage exit that led to his departure.