🔗 Share this article Nigeria Book Afcon Last 16 Spot Despite Late Carthage Eagles Fightback Ex- African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen helped his team establish a commanding advantage, before the Super Eagles were forced to hold on for a narrow win. Nigeria weathered a stunning late rally from Tunisia to advance to the knockout stage of the Afcon tournament being held in the host nation. Jose Peseiro's side appeared to be in complete control in their pool clash in Fes, holding a 3-0 cushion with only 17 minutes remaining courtesy of goals from their attacking trio. Yet, Montassar Talbi pulled one back with a close-range finish from a Manchester United midfielder set-piece, igniting hopes of a turnaround. The drama intensified when Tunisia were awarded a late penalty after a VAR check spotted a handball by Bright Osayi-Samuel. Ali Abdi calmly slotted home in the dying stages to set up a nail-biting finale. The Carthage Eagles were inches away from a stunning equalizer in stoppage time, with captain Ferjani Sassi heading a opportunity narrowly wide before a substitute guided a bobbling volley past the upright. Clinching First Place This result means that the Super Eagles, winners of the competition on three past instances, move to six points and are guaranteed top spot in their pool with a match still to play. In the next round, they will meet a best third-place team from one of Group A, B or F. Meanwhile, Tunisia remain on 3 points, with Uganda and Tanzania locked on one point each after registering a one-all draw in the day's other fixture. The final group fixtures will see Nigeria stay in the city to take on the Cranes on the next matchday, while Tunisia travel back to the capital to face Tanzania. An Anxious Finish Ali Abdi smashed the ball from the penalty spot to offer Tunisia hope of earning a point. Nigeria, runners-up in the previous tournament, become the second nation after the Pharaohs to qualify for the knockout stage, but coach Eric Chelle and supporters will undoubtedly be breathing a sigh of relief. What looked like set to be a comfortable final quarter morphed into a tense conclusion. Victor Osimhen had a effort disallowed for offside before opening the scoring right before half-time, precisely placing a header into the bottom corner from an Ademola Lookman delivery. The lead was extended early in the second period when Wilfred Ndidi climbed above everyone to thump in a header from a Lookman corner. The number 9 then turned provider his teammate for the seemingly decisive goal, only for Montassar Talbi to steer a header past the Nigerian shot-stopper to begin the fightback. The key incident came when a high ball struck the arm of Bright Osayi-Samuel, with referee Boubou Traore pointing to the spot after consulting the pitchside screen. Despite Ali Abdi's confident conversion, Tunisia ultimately fell short of completing a remarkable recovery. Their fate is still in their own hands; a draw against Tanzania will be sufficient to secure progression, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be keen to avoid a repeat of the 2013 group-stage exit that led to his previous resignation.