Victor Osimhen scored twice as Nigeria survived a late scare to beat Sierra Leone 3-2 on Sunday and secure qualification for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
The 24-year-old striker, who was Serie A’s top scorer with 26 goals as Napoli claimed the Italian title this season, had put the Super Eagles two goals up inside 32 minutes with a deft lob and a goalmouth scramble.
But the Leone Stars, who play in Liberia due to their lack of an international stadium, had levelled things up before Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho poked home the winner five minutes into added time.
The result also sent Guinea-Bissau through in second spot in Group A following their victory against Sao Tome e Principe last week.
Aubameyang’s Gabon return falls flat
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang’s international return did not go to plan as Gabon lost 2-0 at home to the Democratic Republic of Congo – a result which saw the away team go from bottom to top in Group I.
Aubameyang, who is his country’s record scorer with 23 goals in 69 appearances, announced his international retirement in May 2022 before a meeting with Gabon president Ali Bongo Ondimba inspired the Chelsea striker to return.
Gabon remain second despite the defeat but must now beat Sudan to ensure qualification in the final round of games where all four teams can still qualify.
Goalless Ghana made to wait
Ghana also face a nervy wait for September’s final round, having missed out on the chance to qualify with a game to spare after being held 0-0 in Madagascar.
Two points separate the Group E leaders from Angola in second and third-placed Central African Republic, who they host on 3 September.
Central African Republic also had a chance to seal qualification with a win but lost 2-1 at home to Angola.
Zambia put in perhaps the weekend’s best performance, defeating hosts Ivory Coast 3-0 in Ndola to seal their place in next year’s tournament. Patson Daka and Kings Kangwa were on target for Chipolopolo while Serge Aurier also scored an own goal.
A late penalty gave Equatorial Guinea an impressive 1-0 win against Tunisia in Malabo that sees the National Thunder into a second successive Afcon finals, while Cape Verde, the island nation with a population below 600,000, will make a fourth appearance following a 3-1 home win over Group B winners Burkina Faso.
Mali secured top spot in Group G with a 2-0 win in Congo-Brazzaville, who now face a winner-takes-all clash with The Gambia for second place in September’s final round of qualifiers.
Hosts Ivory Coast, holders Senegal, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia had already secured their place for the 24-team finals which have been pushed back to next January and February due to the summer rainy season in West Africa.
