Nigeria survived a heart-stopping late surge from Tunisia to seal a dramatic 3–2 victory in their fiery AFCON 2025 clash in Fez, keeping fans glued until the final whistle.
The Super Eagles looked firmly in control for much of the night.
Victor Osimhen opened the scoring just before halftime, powering home a header that gave Tunisia little chance.
Moments after the break, Wilfred Ndidi doubled Nigeria’s advantage, again from the air, rising highest to meet Ademola Lookman’s corner.
When Lookman capped a slick counterattack with a classy finish to make it 3–0 after 66 minutes, the match appeared done and dusted.
But Tunisia were far from finished.
Ismael Gharbi sparked belief with a clever flicked header in the 74th minute, cutting the deficit and igniting the Carthage Eagles’ comeback.
Pressure mounted, and with five minutes left, VAR drama followed as the referee ruled Bright Osayi-Samuel had handled the ball in the box.
Ali Abdi stepped up and calmly buried the penalty, turning the final minutes into a frantic siege on Nigeria’s goal.
Despite relentless late attacks, the Super Eagles held their nerve to secure all three points.
The win moves Nigeria to six points from two games, putting them firmly into the knockout stage and leaving Tunisia with work to do.
In the group’s other fixture, Uganda and Tanzania shared the spoils in a 1–1 draw but the night belonged to Nigeria, who proved that even when the pressure rises, they can still soar.
