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Ghana knock underperforming Super Eagles out of World Cup race

The Super Eagles have been eliminated from the race to the Qatar 2022 World Cup after a 1-1 draw in Abuja with Ghana.
The Nigerian side fought back to force the draw at the packed Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja on Tuesday evening but it was not enough as they crashed out on the away goals rule.
The first leg in Kumasi had ended 0-0 last Friday.
Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey gave Ghana a shock lead in the first half before Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong pulled his side level.
Partey drew first blood for the Black Stars when his speculative shot from the edge of Nigeria’s box somehow squirmed under goalkeeper Francis Uzoho.
It should have been a routine save for the Cyprus-based goalkeeper but his howler gave the Black Stars an early advantage in the 11th minute.
It did not take long for the Super Eagles to equalise, but they needed help from the Video Assistant Referee.
Ademola Lookman was brought down in the Ghana box by Dennis Odoi, and it took a VAR review to confirm the decision.
Troost-Ekong stepped up in the 22nd minute to draw Nigeria level, firing his penalty into the net.
The Super Eagles thought they had found the second goal they desperately needed in the 35th minute when Victor Osimhen broke through to score.
However, another VAR review confirmed that the Napoli striker was offside and the goal was rightly chalked off.
While the first half performance was under-par from the Super Eagles, the second half was even worse.
They failed to trouble the Ghana defence and Osimhen was left isolated upfront as his teammates misplaced passes and mishit crosses repeatedly.
Interim head coach Austin Eguavoen made several changes in a desperate bid to turn things around, bringing on Ahmed Musa, Odion Ighalo and Sadiq Umar.
The changes made little impact as the Black Stars cleverly controlled the match and they cruised to their first World Cup appearance since 2014, overcoming a team of overhyped but underwhelming Nigerians.
The over 60,000 fans who squeezed themselves into the Moshood Abiola National Stadium were left disappointed not just by the result, but also the lethargic performance of the Super Eagles, who have failed to reach the World Cup for the first time since 2006.

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Naija Times