Hannibal to face Nigeria in AFCON last 16
Manchester United midfielder Hannibal will play in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Carthage Eagles were defeated in their final group-stage game by Gambia, after a stoppage-time winner scored by Ablie Jallow.
The 1-0 reverse meant Tunisia finished third in Group F, and now face a difficult tie with tournament high-flyers Nigeria in the knockout stages.
Hannibal came on as a substitute in the 68th minute and received a yellow card, in what proved a turbulent second half for his country.
The 19-year-old saw his side miss a fantastic opportunity to take the lead in the first half, when Seifeddine Jaziri's penalty was saved by Gambia goalkeeper Boubacarr Gaye.
Remarkably, it means Tunisia have now missed a penalty in all three of their AFCON games so far.
There was further drama at half-time, when tension around the earlier penalty exploded and the Eagles' substitute goalkeeper Farouk Ben Mustapha was shown a red card.
Tunisia's place in the last 16 was already assured before kick-off, due to results elsewhere, but the north African nation knew finishing third was likely to result in a daunting match-up with Nigeria, who have won all three of their AFCON games.
However, they were only able to name five substitutes, because 12 players were unavailable due to COVID-19.
Despite this, they pressed hard for a breakthrough in the second half, but Gambia grew stronger as the game entered its final stages.
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Referee Fernando Guerrero Ramirez appeared to send another Tunisian, Mohamed Drager, off in the closing moments, only to then show two separate yellow cards instead – to Drager and Hannibal.
Gambia almost took the lead with a stunning free-kick attempt from Musa Barrow, which hit the bar, before a crashing left-footed effort in injury time earned them second place in Group F, at Tunisia's expense.
United will also be represented in the knockout stages by defender Eric Bailly, whose Ivory Coast side take on seven-time winners Egypt next Wednesday after topping Group B.
WHEN WILL THE LAST-16 TIES TAKE PLACE?
SUNDAY 23 JANUARY
Burkina Faso v Gabon (16:00)
Nigeria v Tunisia (19:00)
MONDAY 24 JANUARY
Guinea v Gambia (16:00)
Cameroon v Comoros (19:00)
TUESDAY 25 JANUARY
Senegal v Cape Verde (16:00)
Morocco v Malawi (19:00)
WEDNESDAY 25 JANUARY
Ivory Coast v Egypt (16:00)
Mali v Equatorial Guinea (19:00)
All kick-off times given are GMT.
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