Nigeria’s Super Eagles have qualified for the knockout phase of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after a dramatic 3–2 victory over Tunisia at the Fez Stadium in Morocco on Saturday night.
The Super Eagles looked in full control for long spells and raced into a three-goal lead, but a late Tunisian surge ensured a tense finish before Nigeria held on to secure a second straight win of the group stage.
Victor Osimhen opened the scoring just before half-time to end his goal drought at the tournament.
The striker rose highest to meet Ademola Lookman’s cross from the left and powered a header beyond Aymen Dahmen, sending Nigerian fans into celebration in Fez.
Nigeria carried that momentum into the second half and doubled their advantage in the 50th minute. From a Lookman corner, Wilfred Ndidi broke free inside the box and headed calmly into the net to score his first international goal.
Tunisia struggled to cope with Nigeria’s pace and movement, and the pressure told again in the 71st minute. Alex Iwobi slipped a neat pass to Osimhen, who showed composure to square the ball for Lookman. The winger took his time before firing into the net to make it 3–0.
At that stage, the match appeared settled. However, Tunisia refused to fold. They pulled one back in the 74th minute when Gharbi glanced in a header from a free kick, catching Stanley Nwabali wrong-footed.
The North Africans were handed a lifeline late on after VAR intervened to award a penalty for handball against Bright Osayi-Samuel. Ali Abdi stepped up and smashed the spot kick into the top corner in the 87th minute, setting up a nervy finale.
Tunisia pushed forward in the closing minutes, and Ferjani Sassi came close to equalising with a late header that drifted just wide. Nigeria defended deep as seven minutes of stoppage time were added, with Nwabali making important interventions to calm the pressure.
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The final whistle confirmed Nigeria’s second win in two matches and kept them top of Group C with six points.
It also extended their strong recent record in AFCON group stages, where they have now won four consecutive matches.
Tunisia, who had beaten Nigeria at the 2021 AFCON, remain in contention but must now win their final group game to be sure of qualification.
For Nigeria, the result further underlined their status as one of the tournament favourites. Despite a shaky ending, Eric Chelle’s side showed attacking depth, physical strength and resilience — qualities that could prove vital as the competition moves towards the knockout rounds.
