AFCON Thriller: Nigeria’s Thunder, Tunisia’s Resilience, and a Legend-Equalling Night
28 December 2025
Match recap
The Tunisian national team scored two goals after trailing three goals to Nigeria.
Tunisia conceded 3 goals in a single match at the Africa Cup of Nations, for the first time since January 26, 2013, when they lost to Ivory Coast 3-0, after their 3-2 defeat to Nigeria, today Saturday, in the second round of the group stage.
The match also marked a historic milestone, as Elyes Sakhiri started for the 17th time for Tunisia in the Africa Cup of Nations, equalling the record held by Shokri Al-Waer, Riad Bouzeizi, Khaled Badr, and Wahbi Khazri, according to the Stats Foot network.
With this defeat, Tunisia's points stay at 3 in second place in Group C, which Nigeria leads with 6; Tanzania third with 1 point, level on goal difference with Uganda bottom.
The Carthage Eagles opened their CAN campaign with a 3-1 win over Uganda, while Nigeria beat Tanzania 2-1 in the opening group stage match.
Milestones and standings
Nigeria sits on 6 points at the top, Tunisia on 3, Tanzania on 1 and Uganda on 0 after this round.
The numbers tell a story, and the drama on the pitch wrote the next chapter.
Punchline: Nigeria brought the thunder; Tunisia brought the weather forecast—both guaranteed a storm on the pitch.
Punchline: If football were a movie, this one would need a bigger budget for the defense, and a longer end credits roll.
