The Super Eagles of Nigeria fell to a penalty shootout loss to DR Congo in the final of the CAF World Cup playoffs on Sunday, Soccernet.ng reports.
After defeating Gabon 4-1 on Thursday, Nigeria locked horns with DR Congo in the final game of the CAF World Cup playoffs at the Prince Moulay Hassan Staidum in Rabat.
Nigeria had the better quality players on paper going into the fixture, but DR Congo defeated Cameroon in their own semifinal fixture and were sure to give the Super Eagles a run for their money.
However, Nigeria took charge of the fixture very early. Nigeria scored the opener after just three minutes, courtesy of Frank Onyeka.
The Brentford man struck a wicked shot from outside the box, which bounced off the feet of a DR Congolese player and nestled in the bottom-left corner of ....
After taking the lead, Nigeria took their feet off the pedal and let DR Congo into the game. The Super Eagles got some half chances which fell to Samuel Chukwueze and Alex Iwobi, but they failed to convert. The game ended in a draw at halftime.
Nigeria started the second half without talisman Victor Osimhen, and the evidence was clear. The Super Eagles were played out of the park. They were toothless and could barely string three passes in midfield.
DR Congo got very close to scoring, as Stanley Nwabali made a big error in goal. But they failed to convert, which was a big let-off.
More to follow…