Follow Us on Google
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will be looking to book a spot in the Intercontinental World Cup playoffs when they lock horns with DR Congo on Sunday.
In the semifinals, both team were thoroughly drilled and pushed by their opponents. The Super Eagles were forced into extra time against Gabon, while DR Congo had their hearts in their mouth until the final second against Cameroon.
The game promises to be an interesting one, as both teams have some of the best players on the continent. Let’s dive into the major details.
Moreover, they missed the chance to qualify for the World Cup for the eighth time in 2022. Still, they flattered go deceive, dropping points against Benin, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe. They also failed to defeat South Africa over two legs.
Nigeria would have failed to make the playoffs if not for Eritrea’s decision to pull out. Even so, they needed a 90th-minute goal from Frank Onyeka to make the playoffs.
Against Gabon on Thursday, it was a game of different halves. The first half was total domination from the three-time African champions. But Gabon saw more of the ball in the second half.
Other News
In the regular 90 minutes, Nigeria created loads of chances and could have scored five goals. But their profligate finishing limited them to just one.
However, they switched thing up in extra time and ran out with a 4-1 win.
Meanwhile, DR Congo will be feeling hard done by because if how the main qualifiers went. They were at the top of Group B until matchday 8, when they suffered a 3-2 loss to Senegal.
Had they won that game, they would have surely qualified, as despite accruing 22 points, they missed out on first place by just two points.
Nonetheless, they can still redeem themselves. They already flexed their muscles against one of the continent’s giants Cameroon, defeating them thanks to a late goal from Chancel Mbemba.
That alone will give them confidence that they can defeat the Super Eagles on Sunday. As for motivation, the last time DR Congo qualified for Mundial was in 1974, and they were called Zaire at the time. Making it to the Intercontinental playoffs and getting the ticket will surely makes the players national heroes.
