A long shot early in the second half and a red card to Alex Iwobi was all it took for Tunisia to eliminate the Nigerian Super Eagles from the 2021 Nations Cup.
The group’s performances didn’t matter on Sunday. While Nigeria topped Group D with nine points from the first round, Tunisia qualified for the second round as one of the four best third-placed teams from Group E.
Coach Augustine Eguavoen named his preferred starting 11 against the Tunisian Eagles of Carthage and the Super Eagles got off to a flying start. Moses Simon won Nigeria’s first corner kick after just 30 seconds and Wilfred Ndidi attempted a bicycle kick after two minutes, a shot that went wide.
Samuel Chukwueze attempted a shot from outside the area in the fifth but the shot went wide. Despite the initial pressure, it was Tunisia who had the first brilliant chance in the 10th minute, but Ndidi was well positioned on the line to block Montassar Talbi’s shot.
In the 12th minute, Joe Aribo reached for the end of Moses’ pass, but his goal attempt was blocked by a corner kick. From the next corner, Ndidi had another try as Nigeria tried to score an early goal.
There were some thoroughbred tackles in the first quarter of the game as the two sides sized each other up. Kelechi Iheanacho received the first yellow card of the match for slapping Bilel Ifa. Hamza Rafia fired angrily for the Tunisians as they became more confident and had more possession of the ball.
The second half began with Youssef Msakni giving the Carthage Eagles the lead with a well-aimed shot that caught Maduka Okoye off guard. It was the first time that the Super Eagles fell behind in the tournament.
A better first touch Kelechi Iheanacho he could have created a shooting chance in the 51st minute. The Eagles were now under pressure as the Tunisians’ defensive set-up prevented any clear chance. Eguavoen sent Alex Iwobi and Peter Olayinka for Iheanacho and Awoniyi, but things took a turn for the worse for the Eagles.
A cue on Iwobi’s stamp was deemed worthy of a VAR check and the previous yellow card was upgraded to a red in the 59th minute. The Everton man was on the pitch for just four minutes before being sent off.
After this, it was a mountain to climb as the Tunisians took every opportunity to fool around. Sadiq Umar came close to equalizing in the second minute of added time but his shot went past the goalkeeper and dribbled past the post to dash the last of the Super Eagles’ hopes.
Then Tunisia, with seven absent players and their coach, stunned the Nigerians and advanced to the quarter-finals to face Burkina Faso, who had previously beaten Gabon on penalties.