"A campaign that involved home draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe, three different coaches and several injuries to talismanic striker Victor Osimhen eventually ended in salvation thanks to an injury-time goal in their final group game against Benin. That strike by Brentford's Frank Onyeka gave the West Africans a 4-0 victory that saw them sneak into the African play-offs on goal difference as runners up in Group C."
"But Nigeria face a new challenge on Thursday - how to stop Iwobi's former Arsenal team-mate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang when they meet Gabon in their play-off semi-final (16:00 GMT) in Morocco. Aubameyang has already bagged seven goals in World Cup qualifying, including four in one game against The Gambia, as Gabon finished a point behind holders Ivory Coast in their group. And the Marseille striker will be motivated by the possibility of leading his nation to the World Cup for the first time."
"We both have the same goal and we both respect that, but he's such a great person off the pitch as well. I was his little brother. He was taking care of me. He used to talk to me, have banter, just make sure I feel comfortable. On the pitch, he always said to me, 'Alex, just express yourself, be you'. He's a very, very happy guy. His aura and his charisma are just amazing. He's always playing with a smile on his face."
Nigeria recovered from an ominously poor start after collecting only three points from their first four 2026 World Cup qualifiers, including home draws with Lesotho and Zimbabwe, three coaching changes and injuries to Victor Osimhen. An injury-time goal by Brentford's Frank Onyeka secured a 4-0 win over Benin and sent Nigeria into the African play-offs on goal difference as Group C runners-up. Nigeria now meet Gabon in a play-off semi-final in Morocco and must find a way to stop captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who scored seven qualifying goals and seeks to lead Gabon to its first World Cup.
Read at www.bbc.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]