Nigeria booked their place in the round of 16 at the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco with a 3-2 win over Tunisia on Saturday night.
The Super Eagles had began their campaign with a 2-1 win over Tanzania and were eyeing another win against the Carthage Eagles, who were 3-1 victors over Uganda.
The last time both sides met was also in the African Cup of Nations tournament, although Tunisia advanced from their round of 16 clash in 2021.
Nigeria began the clash on top and asserted their dominance on the clash. However, they could not convert their dominance into goals.
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Victor Osimhen thought he had broken the deadlock, although his strike from a rebound after Akor Adams effort was saved was later ruled out for offside.
The talisman was not to be denied as he gave the Super Eagles the lead few minutes before halftime with a brilliant header after he was picked out by Ademola Lookman.
Wilfried Ndidi joined the party three minutes in the second half, before Lookman added a third as Nigeria looked to be running away with the win.
But they showed signs of crack in defence which allowed Tunisia to score twice to set up a nervy win.
In this article, SportPremi highlights five major takeaways from the win which sealed the Super Eagles spot in the round of 16;
1. Eric Chelle’s setup unsettles Tunisia
Nigeria started with a 4-4-2 formation against Tanzania in their opening match, but switched to a 4-3-3 this time around, unsettling the Tunisians.
Frank Onyeka came into the midfield, while Samuel Chukwueze dropped out of the lineup, while Bruno Onyemaechi also replaced Zaidu Sanusi at left-back.
The presence of Onyeka in the midfield was a tactical genius as it provided the team with extra legs in the midfield and allowed them to press the North African side, while it also allowed Alex Iwobi to move further high on the pitch and cause more problems.
The Brentford midfielder complemented Wilfried Ndidi perfectly in midfield as Nigeria dominated the clash until they lost concentration in the latter stages of the game.
2. Stanley Nwabali shaky in goal once again
Nwabali has been the first-choice goalkeeper for Nigeria since the 2023 African Cup of Nations, but could lose his spot in the side after another under par performance.
The Chippa United goalkeeper was lucky to even remain on the pitch till full time and he was at fault for the first goal as he could have done more to prevent Montassar Talbi’s header.
The 29-year-old was shaky in goal and was unable to provide the commanding presence that Eric Chelle would have wanted.
3. Osimhen finally gets his goal
Victor Osimhen has continued to underline his importance to the Super Eagles, but endured an uncharacteristically wasteful night against Tanzania in their last match.
It was also proving to be another frustrating night after he had an effort ruled out, but he kept his composure to score Nigeria’s first goal.
It was also his wonderful cutback that allowed Lookman to score their third of the game as he enjoyed a solid display once more.
The Galatasaray forward’s understanding with the Atalanta star is improving and is a warning sign to defences across the tournament.
4. Lookman finding form at right time
Ademola Lookman struggled for form majorly this season for his club Atalanta, but started to hit peak form few weeks to the AFCON tournament.
It seems the winger has brought that form along to the tournament in Morocco as he added to his goal against Tanzania with one goal and two assists in the win.
His goal was a moment of quality as he calmly controlled a pass from Osimhen, before turning the Tunisian defender and slotting into the net.
With Lookman getting back to his devastating best, perhaps Nigeria could get to finally lay their hands on the prestigious trophy this time around.
5. Same problem for Eric Chelle’s team
It has become a pattern for the Super Eagles to begin matches in dominant fashion, but drop their intensity towards the end of the game.
Against Tunisia, they dominated majority of the match and could have eased to a superb win and were lucky they scored three times because the North Africans pulled two back in the latter stages of the game.
If they are to make an extended stay at the tournament, they must make sure they maintain the same high intensity throughout the clash and avoid dropping off towards the end of matches.
