The Super Eagles of Nigeria have officially booked their place in the Round of 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations following a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Tunisia. The win, secured on Saturday, December 28, 2025, makes Nigeria the second team after Egypt to progress from the group stages of the tournament being held in Morocco.
Dominant Start Seals Victory for Nigeria
From the opening whistle, the Nigerian side took control of the match. Their persistent pressure was finally rewarded just before halftime when star striker Victor Osimhen powerfully headed home a pinpoint cross from Ademola Lookman to break the deadlock.
The Super Eagles continued their assault after the break. Lookman turned provider once again, delivering a superb corner kick in the early stages of the second half that was met by the head of captain Wilfred Ndidi, doubling Nigeria's lead. The Atalanta winger, Lookman, then got on the scoresheet himself, netting a third goal to seemingly put the game beyond the Carthage Eagles at 3-0.
Nervy Finish as Tunisia Mounts Late Comeback
The final 15 minutes of the match provided a tense climax for Nigerian fans. Tunisia's Montassar Talbi managed to pull a goal back, injecting doubt into the proceedings. The North African side then scored a second, courtesy of Ali Abdi from a controversial penalty decision, setting up a frantic finale with the score at 3-2.
Despite the late surge from Tunisia, the Super Eagles held their nerve to secure the three points. The result leaves Group C intriguingly poised for Tunisia, Uganda, and Tanzania heading into the final round of group matches.
Eric Chelle Defends Tactics After Win
Head coach Eric Chelle expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance and the result, highlighting a consistent improvement. "I'm happy because we won. We improve in every game. The first game was good, not bad, we won," Chelle stated in the post-match conference. "The second game we improved, but we did some good things and had things too, so we have to continue to improve in every game."
The manager's decision to substitute in wingers Moses Simon and Chidera Ejuke after establishing a 3-0 lead was criticized by some fans, who felt it disrupted the team's rhythm and invited pressure. Chelle, however, stood by his choices.
"You can say what you want but the reality is that we deserve this win. We can’t do 90mins with big high pressure. We did for 75mins and that’s why I did two wingers sub," he explained.
With qualification secured, Nigeria will now face the Cranes of Uganda in their final Group C match on Tuesday, December 30, 2025. Coach Chelle is expected to rotate his squad heavily for this encounter, aiming to rest key players and provide valuable tournament minutes to fringe members of the team.
