The Super Eagles Book Africa Cup of Nations Last 16 Place In Spite of Late Carthage Eagles Comeback
Former Continent's Best Player of the Year Victor Osimhen helped Nigeria establish a 3-0 lead, before the Super Eagles were compelled to defend resolutely for a narrow victory.
Nigeria survived a stunning comeback attempt from Tunisia to progress to the last 16 of the Afcon tournament taking place in the host nation.
The Super Eagles appeared to be in complete control 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 Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman.
However, a Tunisian defender pulled one back with a close-range finish from a Manchester United midfielder free-kick, igniting hopes of a recovery.
The tension escalated when the North Africans were awarded a late penalty after a video assistant referee review spotted a handling offense by the Nigerian defender. Ali Abdi converted in the dying stages to create a nail-biting conclusion.
The Carthage Eagles were inches away from a last-gasp equalizer in stoppage time, with captain Ferjani Sassi directing a opportunity narrowly wide before a substitute sent a bobbling volley past the goal frame.
Clinching Top Spot
This result ensures that the Super Eagles, champions of the competition on three previous occasions, advance to 6 points and are assured top spot in their pool with one game still to be contested.
In the next round, they will meet a third-placed side from either the other preliminary groups.
In the other match, the 2004 champions stay on three points, with Uganda and Tanzania locked on one point each after registering a one-all stalemate earlier on Saturday.
The concluding pool fixtures will see Nigeria stay in the city to play the Cranes on Tuesday, while the Eagles of Carthage return to Rabat to confront Tanzania.
A Nervy Finish
The Tunisian defender drilled the ball from the penalty spot to give Tunisia a glimmer of hope of earning a point.
The Super Eagles, runners-up in the previous edition, become the next team after the Pharaohs to reach the knockout stage, but their manager and supporters will undoubtedly be breathing a sigh of relief.
What looked like set to be a comfortable final quarter morphed into a nerve-wracking affair.
Victor Osimhen had a effort ruled out for an infringement before opening the scoring right before the interval, expertly guiding a glancing effort into the bottom corner from an Atalanta winger cross.
The lead was extended early in the second half when the Leicester City midfielder rose highest to thump in a header from a set-piece 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 initiate the comeback.
The key incident came when a looping cross struck the forearm of the full-back, with the official awarding a penalty after consulting the VAR monitor.
Despite the defender's confident conversion, Tunisia in the end came up just short of completing a stirring recovery.
Tunisia's destiny is still in their own hands; a point against Tunisia will be enough to secure progression, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be keen to avoid a recurrence of the past group-stage exit that led to his previous resignation.
