Victor Osimhen’s incredible hat-trick against Benin Republic saw Nigeria sneaking into the FIFA World Cup qualifying play-offs while effortlessly handing South Africa a priceless ticket to the 2026 Mundial.
With the result, Bafana Bafana became the latest African nation to qualify for the tournament after beating Rwanda 3-0 Tuesday to eventually top the Group C standing.
The Super Eagles approached the game conscious that they must do their bid and await the outcome of the South Africa versus Rwanda encounter that was being played at the same time.
Leading the group before this last round of matches, courtesy of FIFA points deduction from South Africa, the Cheetahs of Benin Republic had one job at hand: get maximum points against Nigeria and grab the ticket to compete with the best in the tournament to be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Unfortunately, their dream of featuring on the World biggest football stage next year came crashing as they fell miserably to a 4-0 defeat against Nigeria inside the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital on Tuesday evening.
The Eric Chelle-led team started the match brightly and their search of an early goal to sustain qualification hopes yielded quick results as Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen needed just three minutes to put the ball in the back of the net and give his team a 1-0 lead with Samuel Chukwueze providing the assist.
Osimhen doubled Nigeria’s advantage in the 38th minute, rising highest to head home a cross from Chukwueze to further frustrate the visitors.
The towering former Napoli of Italy striker ensured Nigeria finished the qualifiers on a high, completing his hat-trick in the 51st minute after beating Benin’s defenders to Moses Simon’s free-kick.
In the added minutes of regulation time, Frank Onyeka put the icing on the cake with a fierce low drive, after Simon did all the donkey-work on the left.
Bafana Bafana Return To World Cup Stage After 16 Years
Meanwhile, despite being docked three points for fielding an ineligible player in an earlier qualifier against Lesotho, the South Africans booked their return to the FIFA World Cup for the first time since qualifying automatically as the host nation in 2010.
It was Thalente Mbatha, who ignited early celebrations for South Africa’s emphatic victory with a powerful strike that squeezed through goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari’s gloves, before Oswin Appollis doubled the advantage midway through the first half with a crisp finish from Evidence Makgopa’s assist.
The pair combined again after the interval as Appollis’s corner found Makgopa, who headed home to seal a commanding victory and spark jubilant scenes across the country.
The victory meant Bafana Bafana finished top of the pool with 18 points while Nigeria placed second in the group after amassing 17 points, the same as Benin Republic, which have an inferior goal difference.
Lesotho beat Zimbabwe to finish fourth with 12 points as Amavubi of Rwanda dropped to fifth place with 11, and the Zimbabwean Warriors placed bottom with just five points, having won no game, drawing five times and also losing the same number of games.
Going Forward
The Super Eagles now have the daunting task of qualifying through a playoff set aside for the second-best placed teams in all nine groups, after missing out of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The overall winner will then compete with the other nations that have qualified to qualify for the World Cup.
GROUP C FINAL STANDING
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | +/- | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  RSA | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 18 | |
| 2 |  NGA | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 17 | |
| 3 |  BEN | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 17 | |
| 4 |  LES | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | -3 | 12 | |
| 5 |  RWA | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -4 | 11 | |
| 6 |  ZIM | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | -7 | 5 |
