Ighalo boosts Nigerian recovery
Musona scores winning goal for Zimbabwe but also gets his marching orders after cynical foul
Odion Ighalo scored a hat-trick for Nigeria, Moroccan Faycal Fajr spared blushes and Knowledge Musona was a hero and villain for Zimbabwe in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying at the weekend.
Odion Ighalo scored a hat-trick for Nigeria, Moroccan Faycal Fajr spared blushes and Knowledge Musona was a hero and villain for Zimbabwe in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying at the weekend.
China-based Ighalo bagged a treble as Nigeria beat Libya 4-0 in Uyo to continue a Group E recovery after starting with a shock home defeat by Bafana Bafana.
Fajr converted a penalty seven minutes into stoppage time as Morocco sneaked a 1-0 Group B win in Casablanca over the Comoros, ranked 104 places below them.
Captain Musona scored and was sent off within five minutes as Zimbabwe went clear in Group G thanks to an upset 2-1 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo in Kinshasa.
A goalkeeping howler gifted Namibia three points in Mozambique as the third series of qualifiers was completed.
Ighalo converted a fourthminute penalty after being fouled and rounded goalkeeper Mohamed Nashnush to tap in and double the lead on 58 minutes. When Libya failed to cut off a low cross, former Watford striker Ighalo scrambled the ball into the net to complete his hattrick with a quarter of the qualifier remaining.
A last-minute Samuel Kalu goal completed the rout of the Mediterranean Knights, whose coach Adel Amrouche quit this week over unpaid salaries.
Nigeria lie second with six points, one fewer than SA, who scored a record 6-0 win over the Seychelles in rain-lashed FNB Stadium in Soweto.
The Comoros were on the verge of frustrating 2018 World Cup qualifiers Morocco for 96 minutes. But they conceded a penalty and Fajr scored to lift Morocco within a point of Group B pacesetters Cameroon.
SA-based Bloemfontein Celtic defender Ronald Pfumbidzai struck a superb goal midway through the first half to put Zimbabwe on the road to glory at a packed 80,000-seat Stade des Martyrs.
Musona doubled the lead and then cynically fouled Issama Mpeko, for which he got a second yellow card.
Yannick Bolasie nodded in a stoppage-time consolation goal for the Congolese as they suffered a rare loss in their Kinshasa fortress.
Zimbabwe top the table with seven points, three more than central African neighbours DRC and Congo Brazzaville.
Mozambique goalkeeper Jose Guirrugo allowed a longrange, stoppage-time shot from substitute Deon Hotto to slip from his grasp and into the net as Namibia fought back to win 2-1 in Maputo. Group K is the tightest, with Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia all on four points, with equal goal differences.
Leaders Tunisia battled to a 1-0 Group J win in Rades over Niger, who conceded six goals in Egypt last month amid complaints of enduring a “beansand-water” diet.
Yassine Meriah scored after 17 minutes for the Carthage Eagles, who had Ghailene Chaalali red-carded in the closing stages.