Nigeria’s Super Eagles have been eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations in 2021.
They were defeated 1-0 by Tunisia in the AFCON Round of 16 on Sunday.
Alex Iwobi was sent off for a harsh tackle just two minutes after entering the game.
Tunisia stunned Nigeria’s Super Eagles by scoring just two minutes into the second half.
The Carthage Eagles scored their first goal of the game on a long-range strike by Youssef Msakni.
Msakni’s shot from outside the 18-yard box was misjudged by Nigerian goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, who parried it into the net.
The Super Eagles faced a tough challenge in the first half of their Africa Cup of Nations match against Tunisia.
In the 21st minute, a cagey opening controlled by Nigeria became difficult as Tunisian attackers put pressure on Nigeria’s defenders.
Moses Simon and Kelechi Iheanacho, two of the game’s most talented attackers, struggled to make an impact as they were only given a few minutes on the pitch this evening.
Simon was instrumental in the Super Eagles’ victories over Egypt, Sudan, and Guinea Bissau in their group matches.
In the 20th minute, Nigeria’s Kelechi Iheanacho is shown a yellow card.
Tunisia proved to be more difficult than expected for the Super Eagles, as they were hit by numerous absences, including 12 players who tested positive for COVID-19.
Tunisia had two shots on goal in the first half, while Nigeria had none.
In the group stage, the Super Eagles were the only team to finish with the most points.
Nigeria began the tournament with a 1-0 victory over Egypt, followed by a 3-1 win over Sudan, and a 2-0 victory over Guinea Bissau to finish the group.
The Super Eagles are likely to get the essential morale boost in their quest for a fourth AFCON victory after winning the group stage maximum tally and spectacular performances in 1980, 1994, and 2013.
Nigeria and Tunisia face for the sixth time in the Africa Cup of Nations, with four of the previous five meetings taking place in the knockout stages. Nigeria is undefeated in all five games (W3 D2, excluding shoot-outs).
Tunisia’s only successful AFCON encounter with Nigeria was in 2004, when they advanced to the semi-finals on penalties after the match ended equal, and went on to win the title that year.
Source: Nyscinfo