In a pivotal 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Group L qualifier held in Uyo, Nigeria, on Friday, in-form striker Tolu Arokodare emerged as the match-winning hero to steer the Super Eagles to a commanding 3-1 triumph over tournament co-hosts Tanzania, reigniting the nation’s push for a spot in the 2027 finals. The Ajax loanee, who has notched 13 goals in 17 appearances this season during his temporary spell at the Dutch club from parent side Wolverhampton Wanderers, entered the pitch at half-time and made an immediate impact: first, he flicked home a low cross from Wilfred Ndidi in the 52nd minute to cancel out Tanzania’s 32nd-minute equalizer from Alphonce Msanga, before firing a clinical 12-yard finish off a Moses Usor left-sided delivery to double Nigeria’s lead eight minutes later.
The hosts had made a dream start to the fixture, as Alhassan Yusuf slotted past the Tanzanian defense in the second minute following a precise layoff from Ademola Lookman, but the East African side — who had already secured automatic qualification to the 2027 finals as co-hosts — pegged Nigeria back before the interval. Coming off a demoralizing 3-0 away defeat to Guinea-Bissau back in September, Eric Chelle’s Super Eagles had zero room for error in their pursuit of the single available qualification spot in Group L, and the three points lifted them to just one point behind group leaders Guinea-Bissau, who played out a 1-1 draw with Madagascar the previous day.
Across other concurrent third-round qualifiers, multiple longstanding Afcon regulars faced unanticipated setbacks that threaten their streaks of consecutive finals appearances. Most notably, Tunisia’s record run of 17 straight Afcon tournament berths hangs by a thread after the Carthage Eagles slumped to a 2-0 home defeat to neighboring Libya in Sfax. Winless and rooted to the bottom of Group H, Tunisia saw their frustrations mount over contentious officiating calls: Ali Maaloul was adjudged to have committed a shirt pull in the box right before half-time, allowing Ali Youssef to convert the resulting penalty, while a second-half Tunisian goal was ruled out via a marginal offside decision, before Hamdou El Houni sealed the win for Libya three minutes later. The Mediterranean Knights, who last featured at an Afcon finals in 2012, now sit second in the group level on points with Uganda.
In Johannesburg, former South African international Benni McCarthy masterminded a stunning 90th-minute equalizer for his Kenyan side to shatter Bafana Bafana’s perfect start to Group D action, ending the clash 2-2. Amos Wanjala’s early own goal handed South Africa the lead, before Michael Olunga drew Kenya level from the penalty spot on the cusp of half-time. Relebohile Mofokeng looked to have secured all three points for the hosts when he restored their advantage with 13 minutes remaining, but Ryan Ogam’s blistering 20-yard low drive sneaked inside the left post at the death to steal a point for Kenya, leaving South Africa just one point clear of Guinea at the top of the group table.
Elsewhere across the continent, late drama dominated multiple fixtures: Burkina Faso grabbed all three points against Mauritania in Ouagadougou thanks to a 94th-minute match-winner from Elohim Kabore, drawing level with Benin at seven points at the top of Group F. Cape Verde claimed their first three points of Group K with a free-scoring 4-2 home victory over Liberia in Praia, while Gabon joined Morocco on six points at the top of Group F after a 2-0 shutout of Lesotho, with LA FC forward Denis Bouanga bouncing back from a missed penalty to score a header minutes later before converting a second spot kick. Ethiopia notched their first win of the campaign with a shock 87th-minute strike from Kenean Markneh to stun hosts Mozambique 1-0 in Maputo, and Zambia fought to a 1-1 home draw with Burundi to move level on four points with Group I leaders Algeria, who can open up a three-point gap with a Saturday home fixture against Togo. The round of action also saw Comoros held to a goalless home draw by Congo-Brazzaville, leaving Cameroon top of Group G on seven points.
Three additional fixtures are set to unfold later on Friday: newly appointed Egypt head coach Ali Maher, who took over following Hossam Hassan’s departure, will make his managerial debut for the Pharaohs in a Group B clash against Malawi kicking off at 19:00 GMT, while Morocco will look to extend their perfect start to Group A when they host Niger at 20:00 GMT. The third round of 2027 Afcon qualifying wraps up with three fixtures scheduled for Saturday, before the fourth round of group matches is split across Monday and Tuesday.