Either side needed a straight victory for a chance to progress to the quarterfinals but it is the North Africans who reigned over as they grabbed a 2-1 win in a pulsating encounter.
Tunisia and Zambia went into their last Group C match of the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations without a single win.
The two African football powerhouses had drawn one and lost the other in a group that had Benin and Gambia.
Either side needed a straight victory for a chance to progress to the quarterfinals but it is the North Africans who reigned over as they grabbed a 2-1 win in a pulsating encounter.
Jibril Othman gave the Tunisians the lead after 30 minutes but Kingstone Mutandwa restored parity in the 58th. However, the Zambians took long in celebration mood and were punished almost immediately through a Mohamed Dhaoui strike a minute later.
In the other match, Gambia maintained their 100-percent record with a 1-0 win over Benin.
Things turned to the worst for the Zambians as they finished bottom in their group and therefore, lost the remaining slot for the best third-place team to Benin.
Quarterfinal line-up
As confirmed earlier, Uganda Hippos will face Nigeria in the last match on Thursday as their CECAFA neighbour South Sudan tests Gambia’s unbeaten form earlier on the same day.
Senegal will now play Benin in the first quarterfinal on Friday before Congo take on Tunisia.
The winners of these pairings will qualify automatically for the FIFA U20 World Cup in Indonesia between May and June.
U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
Quarter-Finals;
Thursday 2nd, March
Senegal vs Benin - Cairo International Stadium, Cairo
Uganda vs Nigeria - Suez Canal Stadium, Ismailia
Friday 3rd, March
Gambia vs South Sudan - Haras El Hodoud Stadium, Alexandria
Congo vs Tunisia - Cairo International Stadium, Cairo
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