W’CUP26: Four- star Super  Eagles maul Benin to pick Play-Off ticket

Talismanic Osimhen grabs hat trick

Bafana Bafana pick WC ticket in Group C

Determined  to earn a place in next year’s FIFA World Cup  in the North America,  the Super Eagles  yesterday produced a four-star performance  with a comprehensive  4-0 thrashing  of  Benin Republic  while axe striker   Victor Osimhen  netted  a hat trick  at the  Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.  

The Galatasaray forward opened  the floodgate  for the  Super  Eagles  as early as the third  minute, finishing off a brilliant assist from Samuel Chukwueze after a swift attacking move.He doubled Nigeria’s advantage in the 37^th   minute again after being teed up by  Chukwueze.

The Super Eagles continued their dominance after the break and Osimhen completed his hat-trick in the 51^st  minute , heading home a chipped pass from Moses Simon.

Substitute Frank Onyeka put the icing on the cake in the 90^th  minute with probably 

the best goal  of the day with a fine volley , sealing an emphatic 4–0 victory for the Super Eagles.

Meanwhile, South Africa beat Rwanda 3-0 in Nelspruit to finish first in Group C as Benin, who had a two-point lead going into the final round of fixtures, tumbled from top place to third in the standings after being thumped 4-0 in Uyo.

South Africa finished on 18 points, with Nigeria runners-up ahead of Benin on goal difference as both ended with 17 points.

Ironically, South Africa had three points deducted last month after being found guilty of fielding a suspended player in an earlier qualifier in March, a mistake they admitted.

But that will be largely forgotten now as South Africa qualified for the first time since they hosted the finals in 2010.

Thalente Mbatha scored after five minutes, and Oswin Appollis netted the second in the 21^st  minute to put South Africa on their way. Striker Evidence Makgopa made it 3-0 in the 72^nd  minute with a header from a corner.

In  related development, Gabon and Cameroon are the two countries ahead of Nigeria presently in the new table for second-placed teams across the nine groups, going CAF’s new method of calculating the second-placed teams following the withdrawal of Eritrea from the race. Nigeria bagged 15 points with a goals’ difference of plus seven, as against Burkina Faso’s 15 points and goals’ difference of plus six.

Either Burkina Faso or the Democratic Republic of Congo (playing at home to Sudan on Tuesday night) will join the trio for the battles of Morocco next month.

The winner in Morocco will proceed to the Six-Team Intercontinental Playoff, scheduled for the Mexican cities of Guadalajara and Monterrey in March next year, where two teams will emerge and qualify for the finals in USA, Canada and Mexico.

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The winner from the African playoff will be joined by Bolivia, New Caledonia and two teams from Central America, and one from Asia.