"South Africa became the latest African nation to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after beating Rwanda 3-0 to top its qualifying group, with Nigeria forced to settle for second spot and the playoffs despite a Victor Osimhen hat-trick against Benin. South Africa were docked three points by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for fielding an ineligible player in earlier games in the qualifying stages,"
"The Super Eagles, who trailed Benin by three points going into the match and needed to overturn a deficit of two on goal difference, had a two-goal lead at the break at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Nigeria thanks to Osimhen. The Galatasaray striker, who was one of the most sought-after talents by Europe's club teams last summer, completed his hat-trick six minutes into the second half. But Nigerian nerves were not settled until Frank Onyeka's injury-time strike."
South Africa secured qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by defeating Rwanda 3-0 to top its qualifying group, overcoming a prior three-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player. Thalente Mbatha and Oswin Appollis gave South Africa a two-goal cushion early, and Evidence Makgopa added a second-half goal. Nigeria beat Benin with a Victor Osimhen hat-trick and an injury-time strike from Frank Onyeka but finished second and must enter CAF playoffs. Benin finished third after losing 4-0 in Nigeria. The CAF playoff winners advance to a FIFA interconfederation playoff for a potential 10th African spot.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]