World Cup without Nigeria. The Super Eagles fall to DR Congo in dramatic penalty shootout
Jan Novak
Dailysports's expert
Nigeria and DR Congo squared off to determine Africa’s representative in the intercontinental playoffs. Victor Osimhen was forced off the pitch due to an injury, and after 120 minutes, neither side could break the deadlock, sending the Rabat crowd into a nerve-shredding penalty shootout.
In the post-match lottery, fortune favored DR Congo, who missed one penalty fewer. Chippa United’s goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali saved two shots, but misses from Bassey, Simon, and Ajayi ended Nigeria’s hopes. Notably, Nigeria will miss the World Cup for the second consecutive time.
Thus, next March, DR Congo will get their shot at becoming Africa’s tenth representative at the World Cup. The team will try their luck in the intercontinental playoffs, where their opponents will come from the following: New Caledonia, Bolivia, an AFC zone team, and two CONCACAF representatives to be determined on November 18.
