Nigeria and Cape Verde World Cup qualifying battle to go to the wire

Nigeria and Cape Verde will battle for top spot in the final match in Group C on Tuesday after the Super Eagles defeated Liberia 2-0 and Cape Verde beat Central African Republic 2-1.

Nigeria secured all three points against Liberia in Tangier, Morocco, thanks to a 15th-minute penalty strike from Victor Osimhen and a last-minute penalty strike from captain Ahmed Musa.

The victory keeps Nigeria top of Group C with 12 points – but only two ahead of Cape Verde who are second.

Cape Verde can secure top spot and advance to the final stage of the World Cup qualifiers if they beat Nigeria in Lagos on Tuesday.

But Nigeria’s Super Eagles will fancy their chances against the Blue Sharks, having prevailed 2-1 in their first World Cup qualifying meeting back in September. The Super Eagles need just a point to advance.

Egypt, Mali, Morocco and Senegal have already secured their places in the final qualifying stage.

Algeria, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Ghana, Benin and DR Congo are all looking to advance to the final stage of the qualifiers – with just one round of fixture left.

Only five African nations will be at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.