Ex- Continent's Best Player of the Year Victor Osimhen helped his team establish a 3-0 advantage, but the Super Eagles were compelled to hold on for a narrow win.
Nigeria survived a stunning comeback attempt from Tunisia to progress to the last 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations being held in Morocco.
Jose Peseiro's side seemed to be cruising in their Group C clash in Fes, holding a 3-0 lead with only 17 minutes left thanks to strikes from Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman.
Yet, Montassar Talbi reduced the deficit with a close-range finish from a Hannibal Mejbri set-piece, sparking hopes of a recovery.
The tension intensified when Tunisia were awarded a late penalty after a video assistant referee check identified a handling offense by the Nigerian defender. Ali Abdi converted in the 87th minute to set up a nail-biting conclusion.
The Carthage Eagles were inches away from a last-gasp leveler in added time, with their skipper heading a opportunity just past the post before Ismael Gharbi sent a bobbling volley wide of the goal frame.
The victory means that the Super Eagles, champions of the competition on 3 past instances, advance to 6 points and are assured first place in Group C with a match left to play.
In the next round, they will face a third-placed team from either the other preliminary groups.
Meanwhile, Tunisia remain on 3 points, with Uganda and Tanzania tied on a single point each after playing out a one-all draw in the day's other fixture.
The final pool fixtures will see Nigeria remain in the city to play Uganda on the next matchday, while the Eagles of Carthage travel back to the capital to face the Taifa Stars.
The Tunisian defender smashed home from 12 yards to offer his team hope of snatching a draw.
The Super Eagles, runners-up in the previous tournament, become the second nation after Egypt to qualify for the next phase, but coach Eric Chelle and supporters will undoubtedly be feeling relieved.
What seemed set to be a comfortable last period transformed into a tense affair.
Victor Osimhen had a effort disallowed for offside before breaking the deadlock right before half-time, precisely placing a header into the bottom corner from an Ademola Lookman delivery.
The lead was doubled early in the second period when the Leicester City midfielder climbed above everyone to power home a header from a Lookman corner.
Osimhen then turned provider his teammate for the seemingly decisive goal, before the defender to steer a header past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to initiate the fightback.
The pivotal moment came when a looping cross struck the forearm of the full-back, with referee Boubou Traore pointing to the spot after consulting the VAR monitor.
Although Ali Abdi's successful penalty, the 2004 champions in the end came up just short of pulling off a remarkable comeback.
Tunisia's destiny is still in their own hands; a point against Tunisia will be enough to see them through, and manager Sami Trabelsi will be keen to avoid a recurrence of the past group-stage exit that led to his previous resignation.
A software engineer and tech writer passionate about open-source projects and AI advancements.
