Nigeria joined Egypt in the round of 16 after a five star performance against the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia on Saturday night at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Ademola Lookman had a standout performance as Nigeria defeated Tunisia 3-2 in their second Group C match.
The Atalanta forward was named Man of the Match after scoring once and providing two assists in a dominant display by the Super Eagles.
The Super Eagles took early control , with Victor Osimhen seeing his efforts at goal ruled out before finally opening his AFCON goal account in the 44th minute.
Osimhen headed home a cross from Lookman to give Nigeria a 1-0 lead at halftime.
Captain Wilfred Ndidi doubled the advantage after the break, finishing off another assist from Lookman for his first-ever international goal.
Lookman then capped a great night for him by scoring the Super Eagles third goal midway through the second half.
Despite trailing 3-0, Tunisia mounted a late comeback that had Nigerian fans sitting on their edge.
Montassar Talbi reduced the deficit with a header in the 74th minute, while Ali Abdi converted a penalty in the 87th minute to make it a tense finish.
Nigeria however held on for the win, and advance to the AFCON knockout stage for the 16th consecutive time.
Reacting after the match, Lookman said the team deserved the victory.
He said “We dominated from the first half to the second half. They had a spell where they scored two goals, but overall we were very good today,”.
He also praised the Super Eagles supporters and urged them to continue backing the team as the tournament progresses.
After two matches at AFCON 2025, Lookman has recorded four goal involvements, two goals and two assists more than any other player so far in the competition.”
