Why Nigeria qualified for World Cup play-offs ahead of Burkina Faso
Nigeria are set to face Gabon in a World Cup play-off semi-final next month, leaving Burkina Faso to feel hard done by. This week produced a dramatic conclusion to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) section of World Cup qualifying with plenty of twists and turns. Perhaps none more so than the battle to finish as one of the best runners-up. After beating Ethiopia on Monday night, Burkina Faso were in pole position to claim one of the four spots, though their 3-1 win left the door ajar for the Super Eagles. Nigeria, themselves, had eyes on topping Group C as they welcomed Benin to the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Tuesday evening. But with South Africa brushing aside Rwanda 3-0 to qualify for the World Cup - for the first time since 2010 - as group winners, attentions turned towards a play-off spot for Eric Chelle’s side. Leading 3-0 thanks to Victor Osimhen’s stunning hat-trick, Nigeria needed to score another to eliminate Burkina Faso and Brentford midfielder...