Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Victor Osimhen starred as Nigeria became the second country to qualify for the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations after Egypt by surviving Tunisia’s late onslaught. win 3-2 in Fez.
The Super Eagles cruised to victory on Saturday, leading 3-0 thanks to goals from Osimhen, captain Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 elementsend of list
But Tunisia refused to give in in the Group C clash, and Montassar Talbi and Ali Abdi scored to set up a tense finale.
Tunisia had two chances to equalize during seven minutes of injury time, but a header from captain Ferjani Sassi and a shot from substitute Ismael Gharbi missed the target.
Nigeria have six points, Tunisia three, and Tanzania and Uganda one each, with the final round of group matches scheduled for Tuesday.
This was the seventh time the Super Eagles and Carthage Eagles faced each other in AFCON.
Nigeria has won three times and Tunisia once. Two other matches went to penalties, with each nation winning one.
After performing well below par in beating Tanzania in the first round, Nigeria were a transformed team against Tunisia, dominating the first 30 minutes in the northern city.
Osimhen was outstanding, particularly in the aerial duels, while Tunisia were forced to constantly defend against the three-time champions.
The Galatasaray striker, wearing his trademark mask, headed over just after nine minutes, and came close again shortly after as he rose to respond to a corner.
Osimhen had the ball in the net after 17 minutes, but was rightly ruled offside. Big screen replays showed the 2023 African Player of the Year timing his run too early.
Tunisian midfielder Hannibal Mejbri was lucky to escape a yellow card for dissent after reacting angrily when a Nigerian made a foul throw, sending the ball to the ground.
Osimhen stepped aside with another headed goal attempt, then temporarily left the field so medical staff could apply spray to his leg.
Tunisia finally broke out of its defensive shell in the 32nd minute and forced a corner. The set piece ended with the ball returning to Abdi, whose shot went well over.
Several Tunisian raids reaped no reward and, in the 44th minute, a goalless draw was resolved, with Osimhen, predictably, the scorer.
The goal involved two former African Players of the Year, 2024 winner Lookman centering the ball and Osimhen rising between Abdi and Talbi to head powerfully into the net.
Barely five minutes into the second half, Nigeria increased their lead to two goals, once again exposing the aerial weaknesses of the Tunisian defense.
Atalanta striker Lookman was again the architect, sending a corner into the heart of the goalmouth, where Ndidi flew to beat goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen and score his first international goal.
After scoring the first two goals, Lookman scored the third in the 67th minute, after being set up by Osimhen. He had time to control the ball in the area before projecting it into the net from the post.
Tunisia pulled back by a goal 16 minutes from time. The Maghrebs finally got the better of an aerial duel, and Talbi nodded Mejbri’s free kick into the net.
The goal had a dramatic effect as Tunisia took control and scored again three minutes from time, when Abdi converted a penalty awarded after a VAR review showed Bright Samuel had been tampered with.
Uganda spurn penalty chance to beat Tanzania
Uganda’s Allan Okello missed a late penalty as his side had to settle for a 1-1 draw against East African neighbors Tanzania at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier on Saturday.
Okello’s failure to convert from the spot denied Uganda a valuable victory in the Group C clash after Uche Ikpeazu scored a late equalizer for the Cranes in front of 10,540 fans at Rabat’s Al Medina Stadium.
Before that, it looked like Tanzania, winless in 10 previous matches in four AFCON tournaments, might finally break their duck when Simon Msuva put them in front from the penalty spot.
But Ikpeazu, who plays in the Scottish second division for St Johnstone, headed in a cross from compatriot Denis Omedi to level the scores 10 minutes from time.
“I have a very bad feeling because I think we didn’t deserve this draw. I think we had more chances,” Uganda coach Paul Put said.
Of the missed penalty, he said: “It’s very, very painful, but it’s also football. »
The stalemate between the regional rivals, who will co-host the 2027 Nations Cup with Kenya, does little to improve their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages of Group C.
Both have one point from two matches and trail Nigeria and Tunisia, with the two former champions facing each other later on Saturday in Fez.
“It’s not in our hands, but we have to believe in it,” said Put, whose team next faces Nigeria.
Uganda, who have won just one AFCON victory in three appearances at the tournament since losing the 1978 final, came closest to scoring in the first half.
An Aziz Kayondo cross from the left was met by the head of Rogers Mato, whose effort came back under the crossbar.
Tanzania earned a penalty just before the hour mark when Alphonce Msanga’s shot hit the arm of Uganda’s Baba Alhassan.
The experienced Msuva, who plays club football in Iraq, made no mistakes there and has now scored goals at three different AFCON tournaments.
However, a spectacular finish amid a torrential downpour saw Tanzania squander the lead then breathe a big sigh of relief as Uganda missed the chance to claim victory.
Ikpeazu made it 1-1 and Uganda won a penalty when James Bogere went down as his shirt was removed by Salford City’s Tanzania defender Haji Mnoga.
In the 90th minute, Okello was more active and was perhaps put off by a huge thunderclap just before launching his kick which went over the bar.
“I’m a little disappointed with the result, because we tried to win the match, but we could also have lost it in the last five minutes,” said Tanzanian coach Miguel Angel Gamondi.
“We wanted our first victory at the Africa Cup of Nations and I am very sorry for all the Tanzanian people.”
