Nigeria Book Afcon Last 16 Place Despite Late Carthage Eagles Comeback
Former African Footballer of the Year the Napoli star helped his team build a 3-0 lead, but the Super Eagles were forced to hold on 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.
Jose Peseiro's side seemed to be in complete control in their pool clash in Fes, holding a 3-0 lead with just a quarter of an hour left courtesy of 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 recovery.
The drama intensified when Tunisia were given a late penalty after a video assistant referee review identified a handling offense by Bright Osayi-Samuel. The left-back converted in the dying stages to create a nail-biting finale.
The Carthage Eagles came agonizingly close from a stunning leveler in stoppage time, with captain Ferjani Sassi directing a opportunity narrowly wide before a substitute guided a bobbling volley wide of the upright.
Securing Top Spot
The victory means that Nigeria, champions of the tournament on three previous occasions, advance to six 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 side from either the other preliminary groups.
In the other match, Tunisia remain on 3 points, with Uganda and Tanzania tied on one point after registering a one-all draw earlier on Saturday.
The final group fixtures will see Nigeria remain in Fes to take on the Cranes on Tuesday, while the Eagles of Carthage travel back to Rabat to confront Tanzania.
A Nervy Finish
The Tunisian defender smashed home from 12 yards to offer his team a glimmer of hope of snatching a point.
The Super Eagles, runners-up in the 2023 tournament, are the next nation after Egypt to reach the knockout stage, but their manager and fans will certainly be breathing a sigh of relief.
What seemed set to be a straightforward final quarter transformed into a nerve-wracking conclusion.
The prolific striker had a effort disallowed for an infringement before opening the scoring on the stroke of the interval, precisely placing a header into the far post from an Ademola Lookman delivery.
The lead was extended soon in the second half when the Leicester City midfielder climbed above everyone to power home a powerful nod from a set-piece corner.
Osimhen then set up his teammate for the third goal, before Montassar Talbi to steer a header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to initiate the comeback.
The key incident came when a high ball hit the arm of the full-back, with the official pointing to the spot after reviewing the VAR monitor.
Although the defender's confident conversion, the 2004 champions ultimately came up just short of pulling off a stirring comeback.
Their fate remains in their own hands; a point against Tunisia will be sufficient to see them through, and their coach will be eager to avoid a repeat of the 2013 group-stage exit that led to his departure.