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  Qualifying for the biggest football competition on earth, the FIFA World Cup, is never an easy task for countries and the situation is the same for six-time World Cup finalists, Nigeria.
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Pitched alongside Zambia, Algeria, and Cameroon in the Group B of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, the Gernot Rohr led Super Eagles knew there was a huge task ahead as Nigeria looked to qualify for their sixth world cup finals after their debut at the global showpiece in 1994. The qualifiers would start on a bright note for the three-time African champions after recording a vital 2-1 away win against Zambia in their opening game of the qualifiers. The Eagles would back it up with an impressive 3-1 win over Algeria in their second game ahead of a do-or-die head to head encounter against their Central African rivals, Cameroon which would go a long way in deciding the fate of the John Obi Mikel captained Eagles.
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On Saturday, September 1, 2017, in front of a sell-out crowd of 30,000, the Super Eagles filed out against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo. Despite how strong the Cameroonians were, a quality delivery from Mikel Obi in the 29th minute of the encounter met Odion Ighalo well and he muscled off the Cameroonian centre back to hand the Super Eagles the lead as fans cheered. Mikel Obi would make it 2-0 in the 42nd minute after latching in a Victor Moses corner to make it 2-0 at half-time. The Super Eagles would continue their brilliant performance in the second half as Victor Moses who was having a great day in the office made it 3-0 for Nigeria in the 55th minute of the encounter. Kelechi Iheanacho made it 4-0 after heading in a cross from Ogenyi Onazi as Nigeria commanded a comfortable five points lead atop Group B with three games left to play. The 4-0 victory over Cameroon gave Nigeria a firm footing in the qualifiers as they went further to get a vital 1-1 draw in Cameroon before beating Zambia 1-0 in Uyo on October 7, 2017, to qualify for the 2018 World Cup with a game to spare. Sources: Wikipedia YouTube Featured Image Source: Goal
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This article was first published on 14th April 2021

ugo-chinedu

I am a Lion, I love to hit heights that seem impossible so I can motivate others and prove doubters wrong. For me, impossible is nothing. I'm open to learning and I love to read, travel and meet new faces.

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