BREAKING: Aircraft Conveying Nigeria’s Super Eagles Cracked, VIDEO
There was serious tension on Saturday after a ValueJet aircraft transporting Nigeria’s Super Eagles from South Africa made an emergency landing in Angola following the discovery of a crack in one of the plane’s windows.
A top official of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), who is among the team’s contingent, confirmed the development, describing the incident as “a close call that could have been worse.”
According to the source, the aircraft had departed South Africa en route to Uyo, Akwa Ibom, where the national team is expected to play a crucial World Cup qualifying match, before the pilot detected the fault midair and diverted for an emergency landing.
The race for qualification from Group C of the FIFA World Cup African qualifiers is set to go down to the wire after another dramatic round of matches on Friday left Benin Republic, South Africa, and Nigeria all still in contention.
With just one matchday remaining, Benin Republic currently lead the table with 17 points, followed closely by South Africa on 15 points and Nigeria on 14 points.
The decisive final fixtures on Tuesday will determine who clinches the group’s sole automatic ticket to the 2026 World Cup.
In Durban, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana were frustrated by Zimbabwe, settling for a goalless draw that dashed their hopes of early qualification. Hugo Broos’ men must now defeat Rwanda in their final game to have any chance of topping the group.
Meanwhile, in Polokwane, Nigeria’s Super Eagles kept their World Cup dreams alive with a gritty 2–1 victory over Lesotho. Captain William Troost-Ekong converted from the spot before Akor Adams doubled the lead, securing three crucial points that keep Nigeria firmly in the race.
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But Benin Republic consolidated their advantage with a narrow 1–0 win against Rwanda, thanks to a late strike from Tosin Aiyegun, ensuring that the qualification battle remains wide open heading into the final round.
