The Super Eagles of Nigeria will face the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia in the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations. Nigeria won all three group stage games while Tunisia lost to Mali and debutants The Gambia in the final group stage game after beating Mauritania 4-0 in the second group game.

The fixture was confirmed on Thursday after other group stage games in groups E and F were completed. The round of 16 fixture is slated for Sunday, and the team’s coach Austin Eguavoen has stated that the three-time champions of the AFCON will respect any opponents they face.

“Now, people are thinking and starting to respect Nigeria. We will always respect our opponents, we will play them with full strength, and we will play them the way we play with anybody.” Eguavoen said.

In group E, defending champions, Algeria were knocked out in the group stage after losing 3-1 to Ivory Coast. Equatorial Guinea denied Sierra Leone the chance of moving into the next round as one of the best third-placed teams with a 1-0 victory.

With those results from earlier in the day, it was all about any of the trio of Mali, The Gambia, and Tunisia. Mali topped the group after beating Mauritania 2-0. The Gambia left it late for a spectacular effort to beat Covid-depleted Tunisia to finish second while the North Africans finished third.

In other round of 16 fixtures, the pick of the fixtures will see Ivory Coast play Egypt. Burkina Faso will face Gabon while Senegal will battle Cape Verde. Mali and Equatorial Guinea will play while the Gambia will continue their fairytale run with a round of sixteen clashes with Guinea. Hosts Cameroon will face Comoros while Morocco will face Malawi.

Full AFCON 2021 round of 16 fixtures:

Burkina Faso v Gabon

Nigeria v Tunisia

Senegal v Cape Verde

Mali v Equatorial Guinea

Guinea v Gambia

Cameroon v Comoros

Ivory Coast v Egypt

Morocco v Malawi.

Written by:  Daniel Ademiju Idowu