Nigeria hammered African champions
Cameroon Friday to virtually seal a
2018 World Cup place , but Ghana
drew and South Africa lost to suffer
serious qualifying setbacks .
Current and former Chelsea
midfielders Victor Moses and John Obi
Mikel scored one goal and created
another as Nigeria overwhelmed
Cameroon 4 - 0 in southeast city Uyo .
A late strike from Thomas Partey of
Atletico Madrid salvaged a 1 - 1 home
draw for lacklustre Ghana against
Congo Brazzaville in Kumasi .
Russia- based Nuno Rocha broke the
hearts of confident South Africa by
scoring twice as Cape Verde came from
behind to triumph 2 - 1 in Praia .
The return of Moses and Mikel to the
“ Super Eagles ” lineup coincided with
the best Nigerian performance for
years as they crushed the 2017 Africa
Cup of Nations winners .
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It was a record- equalling winning
margin for Nigeria in a World Cup
qualifier and the heaviest defeat
suffered by Cameroon in an African
eliminator.
Nigeria can take an uncatchable lead
in the “ group of death ” if they win in
Cameroon this Monday — provided
Zambia and Algeria draw in Lusaka
Saturday .
Even one Group B point in Yaounde
would send Nigeria to Russia , if
Zambia and Algeria draw twice .
Nigeria have nine points , Cameroon
two and Zambia and Algeria one in a
mini- league that, so far, has proven
far more one- sided than anticipated .
Odion Ighalo and Mikel scored in the
opening half and Moses got the
victory - sealing third on 55 minutes
after Nigeria had survived intense
Cameroon pressure.
Recent Leicester City signing Kelechi
Iheanacho nodded the fourth goal to
give Nigeria their widest winning
margin since trouncing Zimbabwe 5 - 1
in Abuja 12 years ago.
“ After the third goal , we were not a
team,” admitted Cameroon coach Hugo
Broos. “ We did not have power to
fight.”
The Belgian said before the match that
the “ Indomitable Lions ” needed to
take at least four points off Nigeria to
have a realistic chance of topping the
table and qualifying .
Ghana , seeking a fourth consecutive
World Cup appearance, fell behind
midway through the opening half
when Congo captain Thievy Bifouma
scored from close range .
It took the misfiring “ Black Stars ” until
five minutes from time to level as
Partey ran on to a through ball and
fired across the goalkeeper and into
the net.
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Ghana laid siege to the Congolese
goalmouth in the closing minutes, but
wild shooting , especially from Thomas
Agyepong, let them down .
Uganda top Group E with seven points ,
one more than Egypt after beating
them 1 - 0 in Kampala Thursday . Ghana
have two and Congo one.
South Africa made a good start in
Cape Verde with Tokelo Rantie proving
too quick for his pursuers to give the
visitors an early lead .
But Rocha scored twice inside six
minutes before half- time , with a
deflected shot and from a penalty to
turn the tide on the windswept
Atlantic Ocean island state.
Rattled South Africa rarely looked like
levelling and were reduced to 10 men
entering the final quarter when
defender Erick Mathoho got a straight
red card .
Burkina Faso and South Africa have
four points in Group D and Senegal
and Cape Verde three ahead of a
match between the Senegalese and
Burkinabe in Dakar Saturday .
AFP
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