Nigeria forward Ademola Lookman praised the Super Eagles’ performance after being named Man of the Match in a dramatic 3-2 victory over Tunisia that sealed Nigeria’s place in the knockout stages of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Soccernet.ng reports.

Ademola Lookman was the standout performer in Saturday’s Group C clash in Morocco, scoring once and providing two assists as Nigeria surged into a commanding three-goal lead before surviving a late Tunisian fightback.

The Atalanta attacker was central to everything Nigeria did well, inspiring a performance that showed the Super Eagles’ attacking quality, and exposed lingering defensive concerns.

Speaking after the match, Lookman described the display as a step forward for Eric Chelle’s side.

“Three points on the board, so it’s a step in the right direction. We dominated from the first half to the second half,” he said.

“They had a spell where they scored two goals, but overall we were very good today.”

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Nigeria dominant, then vulnerable

Nigeria were comfortably the better side for much of the contest, imposing themselves with pace, power and precision.

Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Lookman all found the net as the Super Eagles raced into a 3-0 advantage, with Lookman directly involved in all three goals.

Osimhen finally ended his seven-game AFCON goal drought in the 44th minute, heading home Lookman’s delivery to give Nigeria a deserved lead at half-time.

Captain Ndidi then doubled the advantage early in the second half, scoring his first-ever international goal, again supplied by Lookman. Lookman, 2024 African Footballer of the Year, added a third to seemingly put the contest beyond doubt.

At that point, Nigeria appeared to be cruising. Instead, a lapse in shape, focus and game management opened the door for Tunisia.

Montassar Talbi headed home in the 74th minute, before Ali Abdi converted a late penalty to make it 3-2 and inject real tension into the closing stages.

Yet Tunisia, a side that qualified for the World Cup without losing or conceding across ten matches, could not complete the comeback. Nigeria held on to secure a memorable win and advance to the AFCON knockout rounds for the 16th consecutive time.

Ademola Lookman leads on and off the pitch

Lookman’s influence has been decisive in the early stages of the tournament. After two group matches, he has registered four goal involvements, two goals and two assists, a tally unmatched by any other player at AFCON 2025. The former Fulham winger scored Nigeria’s winning goal in the 2-1 win over Tanzania on matchday one.

Beyond his performance, the winger also acknowledged the importance of supporter backing, urging fans to stay with the team as the tournament intensifies.

“Keep supporting us, we really need you. Keep being behind us and supporting us.”

Nigeria will next trade tackles with Uganda on Tuesday with a positive result enough tobseal Group C top spot.