The three-time African champions qualified for the play-off round after a nervy finish to Group C on Tuesday

Nigeria have qualified for the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualification play-off after holding Cape Verde Islands to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday.

Osimhen’s opening gal was enough to help to the Super Eagles advance in their quest for a spot in Qatar as they finished as Group C leaders with 13 points after six games.

Nigeria made a promising start to the game and immediately drew the first blood through Osimhen’s strike in the first strike.

Shortly after grabbing the lead, William Troost-Ekong conceded a corner-kick while trying to keep possession and the resulting corner was well by Stopira who beat the Watford defender to the ball to score the equaliser in the sixth minute.

Despite conceding a goal, the Super Eagles did not relent in dominating the first 45 minutes as they won more fouls than the Blues, but they lacked the cutting edge to find the back of the net.

Troost-Ekong was found guilty of another defensive error in the 23rd minute when he tried to pass to Awaziem in the 23rd minute, but fortunately for the hosts, the Blue Sharks could not make anything out of the situation.

Simon had a knock while trying to cover for the defence but he got back on his feet and continued after receiving a brief medical attention.

Nigeria continued piling the pressure and in the 37th minute, they were close to regaining their lead after a fine run from Iwobi but Ighalo failed to hit Collins’ short pass with required power.

Two minutes later, Aribo had his chance with a well-placed left-footed shot but it was parried away by goalkeeper Vozinha and the resulting corner-kick was nearly converted by Osimhen.

The first-half ended with a bit of a drama after Cape Verde approached referee Mustapha Ghorbal to protest for a free-kick after he brought the game to a close with their player on the field.

The second 45 minutes at a slow pace with both teams struggling to find a shot on target.