🔗 Share this article Nigeria Secure Afcon Last 16 Spot In Spite of Late Tunisia Fightback Ex- Continent's Best Player of the Year the Napoli star was instrumental in his team build a 3-0 lead, but they were compelled to hold on for a hard-fought win. The three-time champions weathered a stunning late rally from Tunisia to advance to the knockout stage of the Afcon tournament being held in Morocco. The Super Eagles seemed to be cruising in their pool clash in the Moroccan city, enjoying a 3-0 lead with only a quarter of an hour left courtesy of goals from their attacking trio. Yet, Montassar Talbi reduced the deficit with a close-range finish from a Manchester United midfielder free-kick, sparking hopes of a recovery. The drama escalated when Tunisia were given a late penalty after a VAR check identified a handling offense by Bright Osayi-Samuel. The left-back calmly slotted home in the 87th minute to create a nail-biting finale. Tunisia were inches away from a last-gasp equalizer in added time, with their skipper heading a chance narrowly wide before Ismael Gharbi sent a half-volley past the upright. Securing Top Spot This result ensures that the Super Eagles, champions of the tournament on 3 past instances, move to 6 points and are guaranteed first place in their pool with a match still to play. For the round of 16, they will meet a third-placed side from one of Group A, B or F. In the other match, the 2004 champions remain on three points, with the East African teams locked on a single point after registering a 1-1 draw earlier on Saturday. The final pool matches will see the group leaders stay in the city to play the Cranes on the next matchday, while the Eagles of Carthage return to the capital to face the Taifa Stars. An Anxious Conclusion Ali Abdi drilled the ball from 12 yards to give Tunisia hope of earning a point. The Super Eagles, finalists in the previous tournament, are the next nation after Egypt to qualify for the next phase, 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 disallowed for offside before opening the scoring right before the interval, precisely placing a header into the far post from an Ademola Lookman delivery. The advantage was extended soon in the second half when Wilfred Ndidi climbed above everyone to power home a header from a Lookman corner. Osimhen then set up his teammate for the seemingly decisive goal, only for the defender to direct a header past the Nigerian shot-stopper to begin the fightback. The key incident came when a high ball hit the arm of the full-back, with referee Boubou Traore awarding a penalty after consulting the VAR monitor. Despite Ali Abdi's successful penalty, Tunisia in the end came up just short of completing a stirring comeback. Tunisia's destiny is still in their control; a draw against Tunisia will be sufficient to secure progression, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be eager to avoid a recurrence of the 2013 group-stage exit that resulted in his previous resignation.