Nigeria Book Afcon Last 16 Spot Despite Late Tunisia Comeback
Former Continent's Best Player of the Year the Napoli star was instrumental in his team establish a commanding lead, before the Super Eagles were compelled to hold on for a narrow victory.
The three-time champions survived a dramatic late rally from Tunisia to progress to the knockout stage of the Afcon tournament being held in Morocco.
The Super Eagles seemed to be cruising in their Group C encounter in the Moroccan city, holding a 3-0 cushion with just a quarter of an hour left thanks to goals from their attacking trio.
However, a Tunisian defender reduced the deficit with a close-range finish from a Manchester United midfielder free-kick, sparking hopes of a turnaround.
The drama escalated when Tunisia were awarded a late penalty after a VAR review spotted a handball by the Nigerian defender. The left-back converted in the 87th minute to set up a nail-biting conclusion.
Tunisia came agonizingly close from a last-gasp equalizer in added time, with captain Ferjani Sassi heading a chance just past the post before Ismael Gharbi guided a bobbling volley wide of the upright.
Securing Top Spot
This result ensures that Nigeria, winners of the competition on three past instances, advance to 6 points and are guaranteed top spot in their pool with a match still to play.
For the round of 16, they will meet a third-placed side from one of the other preliminary groups.
Meanwhile, the 2004 champions stay on 3 group points, with the East African teams tied on a single point each after registering a 1-1 draw in the day's other fixture.
The concluding group matches will see Nigeria remain in Fes to play the Cranes on Tuesday, while the Eagles of Carthage travel back to Rabat to face the Taifa Stars.
A Nervy Conclusion
The Tunisian defender smashed the ball from the penalty spot to offer his team a glimmer of hope of snatching a point.
Nigeria, finalists in the previous edition, are the second nation after the Pharaohs to qualify for the knockout stage, but their manager and supporters will undoubtedly be feeling relieved.
What looked like set to be a straightforward final quarter transformed into a nerve-wracking conclusion.
The prolific striker had a effort ruled out for offside before breaking the deadlock right before the interval, expertly guiding a glancing effort into the far post from an Atalanta winger cross.
The advantage was doubled early in the second period when Wilfred Ndidi rose highest to thump in a header from a set-piece kick.
The number 9 then turned provider Lookman for the seemingly decisive goal, only for the defender to steer a header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to initiate the fightback.
The pivotal incident came when a high ball struck the forearm of the full-back, with referee Boubou Traore awarding a penalty after consulting the VAR monitor.
Although Ali Abdi's successful penalty, Tunisia ultimately fell short of completing a remarkable recovery.
Their fate remains in their own hands; a point against Tanzania will be enough to see them through, and their coach will be eager to avoid a repeat of the 2013 group-stage exit that led to his previous resignation.
