Nigeria sealed their spot in the round of 16 at the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco with a 3-2 win over Tunisia at the Fez Stadium on Saturday night.
After their 2-1 win over Tanzania in their opening match, the Super Eagles recorded their second consecutive victory as they advanced to the next round of the competition.
Victor Osimhen got the opening goal in a dominant first half performance, heading into the back of the net after a brilliant cross from Ademola Lookman.
The Super Eagles were not content with their one-goal lead as they doubled their advantage just three minutes into the second half.
Captain Wilfried Ndidi underlined his threat from set-pieces as he headed into the net from another Lookman’s assist.
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The 2024 CAF Men’s player of the year then got his own goal moments later, after a fine team move by Nigeria.
Alex Iwobi’s defence splitting pass found Osimhen, who cut the ball back for Lookman to fire home a third.
Tunisia produced a late fightback, scoring twice in 11 minutes through a Montassar Talbi header and a penalty by Ali Abdi.
In this piece, SportPremi highlights five Super Eagles players who impressed in the clash.
1. Ademola Lookman
Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman continued his impressive form at the African Cup of Nations with his fourth goal contribution in two matches.
The Atalanta winger scored the winner in Nigeria’s first game and backed that performance with a man of the match outing this time around, scoring once and providing two assists.
Lookman’s goal was also a moment of quality. He received the pass from Osimhen and pushed the ball into the box, before wrong-footing the Tunisia defender and firing home.
With Lookman firing on all cylinders, Nigeria remain a threat to opposition and could go all the way in Morocco.
2. Victor Osimhen
Osimhen was very wasteful against Tanzania and looked to follow the same pattern in the early stages against Tunisia.
He had an effort ruled out for a second consecutive match, but finally got his goal in the 42nd minute of the game.
The 26-year-old showed his predatory instinct in the box with a superb header to meet Lookman’s cross and he also showed pace and composure to return the favour for Nigeria’s third.
Both players are beginning to show remarkable understanding in attack and will be crucial in the Super Eagles quest for glory.
3. Alex Iwobi
Although he did not get an assist this time around, Alex Iwobi enjoyed a really impressive outing for Nigeria against Tunisia.
The Fulham man played a wonderful De Bruyne-esque pass to Osimhen, who then passed to Lookman for their third goal of the clash.
4. Wilfried Ndidi
Wilfried Ndidi led by example in Nigeria’s win over Tunisia and showcased his aerial prowess with a bullet header for the second goal of the game.
He finished the game with the highest number of duels won and had 74 touches of the ball. Ndidi will hope for more of this captain performance as the Super Eagles eye a fourth AFCON title.
5. Bruno Onyemaechi
Onyemaechi was one of the two alterations made to the starting lineup against Tunisia, coming in place of Zaidu Sanusi and the defender repaid his manager’s trust with a superb performance.
The Olympiacos defender was composed on the ball and kept the Tunisia’s right-winger at bay in the clash and has potentially staked a claim to become first-choice in the position with his impressive showing.
