Posted by KickOffNigeria.com on
Nigeria beat Zimbabwe 5-1 in a World Cup qualifier in Abuja but failed to qualify after Angola beat Rwanda 1-0 to qualify for Germany 2006.
Nigeria beat Zimbabwe 5-1 in a World Cup qualifier in Abuja but failed to qualify after Angola beat Rwanda 1-0 to qualify for Germany 2006.
Nigeria played one of their best international games in recent years, beating Zimbabwe 5-1 in their last Group Four of the World Cup qualifier on Saturday in Abuja but the victory was not enough to take the Super Eagles to Germany 2006 World Cup Finals.
The game in Kigali between Rwanda and Angola proved the decider as the Angolans scored a goal in the 80th minute with a header from captain Fabrice Akwa to shut the World Cup door on Nigeria on head-to-head rule, to make history to qualify for the World Cup Finals for the first time.
Before the blow on Nigeria's World Cup hope, the Eagles were on song at the Abuja National Stadium with the industrious Inter-Milan striker Obafemi Martins scoring a brace and registering Nigeria's first goal in the 36th minute, and a third one which was a penalty kick in the 75th minute.
Ayila Yusuf of Dynamo Kiev had scored Nigeria's second goal of the one-sided encounter in the 50 th minute, while Nwankwo Kanu who changed the tempo of the game positively in the second half also scored Nigeria's fourth via a penalty in the 80 th minute.
Osaze Odemwingie who had not been finding the net of recent for Nigeria made it a massacre of the visitors as he scored the fifth goal for Nigeria in the 89th minute. Zimbabwe's only goal came off the solo effort of striker Benjani Mwaruwari in the 67th minute.
The failure of Nigeria to reach Germany 2006 World Cup Finals will make it the first time the country will not appear in Mundial since the Super Eagles made their debut in US'94 Finals .They were there also in France '98 and Korea/Japan 2002.