Zimbabwe’s Tawanda Chirewa scored in the final minute to deal a major blow to Nigeria’s World Cup qualification prospects in a 1-1 draw between the teams Tuesday.
Nigeria star Victor Osimhen scored in the 74th to put the Super Eagles on course to claim just their second win in qualification Group C after Friday’s 2-0 victory over Uganda had rekindled qualification hopes.
But the 21-year-old Chirewa, a late substitute, equalized in the 90th to earn Zimbabwe a draw, its fourth from six rounds.
South Africa defeated Benin 2-0 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, to consolidate the top spot in Group C. Bafana Bafana leads with 13 points from six rounds, five clear of Rwanda (which drew with Lesotho 1-1) and Benin. Nigeria stayed fourth in the group with just seven points.
Only the group winners secure automatic qualification, with the four best-placed runners-up contesting playoffs to determine which will qualify for the World Cup next year in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Cape Verde consolidated the top spot in Group D with a 2-1 win in Angola, increasing the pressure on second-place Cameroon ahead of its match against third-place Libya later.
Morocco, Egypt and Senegal were among the other countries contesting qualifiers later.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
