A nervous Nigeria overcame a spirited late Tunisia comeback to win their Group C encounter 3-2 in Fes on Saturday, with headers from Victor Osimhen and Wilfred Ndidi either side of halftime, as well as Ademola Lookman’s second-half strike, seeing the Super Eagles through to the Africa Cup of Nations knockouts.
Montassar Talbi’s late header and Ali Al-Abdi’s penalty nearly inspired Tunisia to an unlikely comeback, but Nigeria held on to secure all three points following a tense and frantic finale.
Eric Chelle’s side, who are embarking on a redemption mission at the Nations Cup after failing to qualify for next year’s World Cup, are guaranteed to progress as Group C winners after taking six points from their opening two matches, having downed Tanzania 2-1 in their tournament opener on Tuesday.
Osimhen’s 44th-minute header following a Lookman cross gave the Super Eagles the advantage their first-half dominance deserved, before an Ndidi header after the break and Lookman’s sharp finish from close range ultimately set Nigeria on their way to victory.
Even if they are defeated by Uganda in their final group game and Tunisia beat Tanzania to join the Eagles on six points, Nigeria would still top the group by virtue of their superior head-to-head record with Tunisia, meaning they will face the third-placed team from Group A, B or F in Fez on January 5.
Despite much talk ahead of the fixture of the last 16 meeting between the two sides at the 2021 Nations Cup, which was won by Tunisia following an error by Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, this was a thoroughly one-sided affair until the death, with Nigeria dominating the ball and the chances during the first half.
Osimhen blazed wildly over after five minutes, having been played in by Bright Osayi Samuel down Nigeria’s right, and moments later, the Galatasaray striker headed over after an excellent cross from Akor Adams, with the burgeoning interplay between the pair again a key feature of Nigeria’s attack.
On 15 minutes, strong work from Adams down the right led to an opening for Frank Onyeka — introduced to the midfield as a replacement for Samuel Chukwueze to give Nigeria more control — although his lack of match sharpness following fitness problems at Brentford showed as he lacked conviction with the finish.
Minutes later, Osimhen had the ball in the box after Aymen Dahmen parried an Adams shot into his path, although the writing was on the wall for a Tunisia side that thoroughly failed to cope with Nigeria’s varied attacking threat.
Tunisia did offer some danger of their own, however, with Hazem Mastouri squeezed out in the box after being played in by Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane, while Onyeka was forced to clear nervously over the bar on 35 minutes after Al-Abdi’s cross again picked out the Dynamo Makhachkala striker.
However, Nigeria’s vulnerability was short-lived, and they took the lead minutes before the break when Osimhen leapt to meet Lookman’s lovely right-footed cross to send the ball beyond Dahmen, who nonetheless got a hand to it.
At half-time, Nigeria had registered 70% of possession, completing 247 passes to Tunisia’s 87, and the match retained its same dynamic after the break.
Their dominance in possession was matched in the air, and it was Ndidi, rising above the Carthage Eagles’ backline to meet a Lookman corner in the 50th minute, who gave the Eagles the cushion their superiority deserved.
With Tunisia increasingly outclassed, the tension in the match intensified.
Osimhen had stoked the fire when he appeared to pointedly celebrate in front of the Tunisian dugout after his opener, while Semi Ajax’s late tackle on Hannibal Mejbri before the hour-mark was lucky to have been punished with only a yellow card.
Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, who brought down the onrushing Ben Romdhane — who appeared not to have heard the whistle — was arguably fortunate to have escaped any kind of sanction for his lunging challenge.
It was Nigeria who added a third in the 67th minute when Lookman met Osimhen’s cutback while advancing to goal, and while his first effort was blocked by the Tunisian defenders, he made no mistake with his second attempt.
Steadily, belatedly Tunisia began to convert the game’s tension into an improved threat, buoyed on by a vocal pro-Tunisia crowd of over 25,000 at the Complexe Sportive de Fes.
Centreback Talbi met Mejbri’s dangerous freekick to head beyond Nwabali, who appeared to slip as the ball came in, in the 74th minute to revive Tunisian hopes.
They increasingly sought to pressure the Eagles during the final 15 minutes, and there were insistent calls for a penalty among the Tunisia players and partisan crowd when a dropping ball hit Osayi-Samuel’s arm in the box.
After a VAR consultation, the referee signalled for the penalty, even though the defender appeared to be naturally jumping for a header, and Al-Abdi finished with aplomb beyond Nwabali to set up a nervy finale.
Both sides had their late chances, substitute Chidera Ejuke firing tamely at Dahmen, while Ferjani Sassi was left with his head in his hands after his unopposed header in the box fell tamely wide of Nwabali’s left post.
Failure to keep a clean sheet will no doubt raise further questions about Nigeria’s backline, although Chelle will hope to take the positives from a dominant 70 minutes or so before the wheels came off.
ESPN
