Nigeria qualified for next year’s African Cup of Nations by beating Sierra Leone 3-2 on Sunday thanks to a winning goal in the fifth minute of added time by Kelechi Iheanacho, while Tanzania held on for a crucial home victory over Niger despite a bizarre late incident when the referee ejected Tanzanian ball boys for interfering with play.
In Tanzania, the ball boys threw numerous balls onto the field on at least two occasions, apparently to force the referee to stop play as Niger launched late attacks in search of an equalizing goal.
There were at least four balls on the field at one point as Niger put together one of its attacks, leading Egyptian referee Mohamed Al Sayd to lose his patience and march over to the ball boys on the sidelines and behind one goal and order them away from the playing area.
Tanzania still held on for a 1-0 win through Saimon Msuva’s 69th-minute goal, putting it in pole position to qualify from Group F behind Algeria, which has already booked its place at the Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Tanzania needs a point away at Algeria in the last round of qualifiers in September to take the group’s second qualifying place ahead of East African rival Uganda.
Algeria beat Uganda 2-1 later Sunday with a double by winger Mohamed El Amine Amoura.
Nigeria appeared on course for a fairly straightforward victory over Sierra Leone after two goals from Victor Osimhen put it 2-0 ahead after 32 minutes and put the Napoli striker level with Sadio Mane as the leading scorers in the qualifiers with five.
Sierra Leone pulled one back before halftime and equalized in the 84th minute through Augustus Kargbo.
There were about 55 seconds left to play when Nigeria left back Zaidu Sanusi cut through the defense and provided a cross for Leicester’s Iheanacho to tap in to take the Super Eagles to the African Cup. Guinea-Bissau also qualified from Group A alongside Nigeria.
Mane’s Senegal, World Cup semifinalist Morocco, Egypt and Algeria have all qualified, with Egypt securing its place last week by coming from behind to beat Guinea 2-1. Morocco surprisingly lost 2-1 in South Africa on Saturday, although both had already qualified.
Five-time African champion Cameroon and four-time champion Ghana are the biggest teams still to seal their places in Ivory Coast and both face nervous final qualifiers.
Cameroon’s fate will be decided in a home game against Burundi in September, by which time the Cameroonians could have slipped down to third in their group.
Ghana was held 0-0 in Madagascar on Sunday when a win would have meant qualification, and now must get at least a draw at home to Central African Republic in its last qualifier. Ghana tops Group E but only two points separate it, Angola in second and Central African Republic in third.
Source: AP
