Our early goals helped us – Moses Simon speaks on Super Eagles’ win over Tunisia

By Editor

Super Eagles winger Moses Simon has stated that the early goals the Super Eagles scored against Tunisia, along with the other chances created during the early period of the game on Saturday in Fes, Morocco, significantly influenced the final result. He said the early dominance by Nigeria and the pattern of the game scared the North Africans, giving them the kind of confidence they needed to finish well.

Simon, who spoke after Nigeria’s dramatic 3–2 victory over Tunisia in their second group match at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, expressed his delight at the result but admitted that conceding late goals was a source of concern.

Reflecting on Nigeria’s strong start and control for most of the game, the Paris FC winger emphasised how crucial the early goals were in shaping the contest.

“Of course, the goals, because when you score, you have more power. I believe the Tunisian team was a little bit scared after we scored the first goal and when we had the opportunity to score the second.”

Simon also felt the Super Eagles could have extended their advantage further, pointing to missed chances during their dominant spell.

“For me, we could have scored more than that. Of course, we approached the game as usual. It’s a must that we try to win and give everything we can.

“We are making progress. Last game we scored two, and this game we scored three. Step by step, I think we are improving, and you can see how we are playing. We played better than the last game.”

The Nigerians were dominant for large spells of the contest, racing into a comfortable three-goal lead before allowing the Tunisians back into the game in the closing stages.

The Super Eagles conceded two goals in the last fifteen minutes, raising questions about a possible drop in intensity or physical fatigue.

Goals from Montassar Talbi and Ali Abdi handed the Carthage Eagles hope, but Nigeria kept their nerve to secure a vital victory.

When pressed on what went wrong after the interval, Simon declined to apportion blame.

“The answer goes to the coach, not me. We are not tired, but the answer goes to the coach. They dominated not in the last 30 minutes, but the last 15 minutes, because we had more opportunities,” Simon told reporters.

Victor Osimhen finally ended his Afcon goal drought just before half-time after seeing five earlier efforts ruled out, before strikes from Wilfred Ndidi and the impressive Ademola Lookman propelled the Super Eagles into a commanding position.

The Super Eagles will be aiming to top Group C  when they face Uganda in the final match in Fez on Tuesday.