December 28, (THEWILL) – Nigeria defeated Tunisia 3-2 in a competitive Africa Cup of Nations group stage encounter, with Ademola Lookman playing a central role in all three Super Eagles goals.
The victory confirmed Nigeria’s progression to the knockout rounds and marked their first win against Tunisia in three head-to-head meetings.
Victor Osimhen endured a frustrating first half, missing several headed opportunities and having one effort disallowed for offside after Akor Adams’ initial shot was saved.
The Napoli striker finally broke through in the 44th minute, meeting Lookman’s cross with a header past Montassar Talbi.
Nigeria doubled their advantage five minutes after the interval when captain Wilfred Ndidi converted Lookman’s corner delivery for his maiden international goal.
Lookman added the third himself in the 67th minute, evading Yan Valery before finishing clinically despite defensive efforts on the line.
The Atalanta forward’s creativity and finishing proved decisive throughout the contest, underlining his importance to Eric Chelle’s side.
Tunisia mounted a spirited late response, with Talbi heading home from Hannibal Mejbri’s free-kick before Ali Abdi converted a penalty awarded for handball by Bright Osayi-Samuel.
Ferjani Sassi nearly completed the comeback but his late header went narrowly wide, leaving the midfielder on his knees in disappointment.
The result extended Nigeria’s impressive form to seven victories from their last eight AFCON group stage matches.
Tunisia, despite their first defeat in five outings, remain second in the group ahead of their fixture against Tanzania
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
