The Super Eagles of Nigeria have booked their spot in the knockout stages of the ongoing AFCON in Morocco following a spirited 3-2 win over the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia in Fes on Saturday night, www.aclsports.com reports.
Nigeria came into the fixture on the back of a win over Tanzania in their opening group game, while the Tunisians defeated Uganda in their own opener to set up a grand clash between the top two teams in Group C at Le Complexe Sportif de Fès.
Eric Chelle, head coach of Nigeria, made two changes from his starting XI in the previous game, with Bruno Onyemaechi and Frank Onyeka introduced in place of Zaidu Sanusi and Samuel Chukwueze, respectively.
All the pre-match talk was about a possible revenge for the Super Eagles, who lost to the Tunisians in Garoua back in 2021 at the round of 16 stage. Nigeria made a bright start to the game as they created two chances in the opening quarter. Osimhen headed Akor Adams’ teasing cross over the crossbar before doing the same from a corner kick moments later.
Nigeria continued to enjoy a large share of the ball possession, but with no quality attempts to trouble Tunisia’s number one, Aymen Dahmen. However, Nigeria thought they had taken the lead when Osimhen bundled home from inside the box after Adams’ attempt, but the goal was rightly ruled out for offside.
With halftime approaching, Nigeria deservedly went in front. Ademola Lookman’s cross to the back post was met powerfully by Osimhen’s header for his second AFCON goal. Nigeria went into the break ahead and relatively comfortable.
After the interval, Eric Chelle’s men continued with the same intensity, and just five minutes later, the lead was doubled. Ademola Lookman’s precise delivery was headed home by skipper Wilfred Ndidi, much to the delight of a few Nigerian fans in the stadium.
Even with the two-goal cushion, Nigeria continued to dominate and create goalscoring chances. In the 67th minute, Ademola Lookman scored his goal to increase Nigeria’s lead after some fine exchange of passes between Alex Iwobi and Osimhen—game, set, and match.
However, with minutes left in the game, the Tunisians staged a late fight, with Montassar Talbi scoring first in the 74th minute before Ali Elabdi’s goal from the penalty spot in the 87th minute set up a grand finish to the game. Nigeria eventually held on to claim their second win at the AFCON in Morocco and a place in the knockout stages.
Nigeria will play their last group game against the Cranes of Uganda on Tuesday in Fes.
Photo credit: Pooja La Photos
