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Tunisia coach Sami Trabelsi says the Carthage Eagles’ defeat to Nigeria hurts.
Nigeria survived a dramatic late surge from Tunisia to secure a thrilling 3-2 victory in Fez on Saturday night, becoming the second team to book their place in the Round of 16 at the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Morocco 2025.
In the last game of four thrilling duels in Morocco, the Super Eagles appeared to be cruising after racing into a commanding 3-0 lead. But, a spirited Tunisian comeback in the final quarter turned the contest into a tense affair under the lights.
Goals from Montassar Talbi and Ali Abdi gave the Carthage Eagles renewed hope, but Nigeria showed composure to hold on and claim a vital win.
Giving his thoughts on the game: “Of course, there is a sense of bitterness after the match and this defeat. We felt we could have come back, especially during the final 30 minutes. The players performed at a very high level in that period; we created many chances, scored two goals and could have scored more.
“The defeat hurts, but there is also a positive aspect: it shows that we can compete with any opponent when we impose our style of play and our ball possession.
“We respected them, yes, while trying to remain balanced. We know that Nigeria have very fast and powerful players, so we tried to reduce the spaces. In the first half, we had a few chances that we should have taken. The goals we conceded came from crosses; it was not a matter of too much respect, but rather that we lost too many defensive and attacking duels. Once we started winning our attacking duels, we were much better and put the opponent under pressure.
“I repeat, we didn’t start the match well because we lost too many duels. However, over the final 35 minutes, we were dominant and the final result could have been very different.
“It is a matter of judgment. When we needed even more attacking penetration, we introduced Ismail Gharbi, but the performance of those already on the pitch was not poor. The next match will be decisive.”
