CAPE VERDE qualified for the World Cup for the first time by defeating Eswatini 3-0 in their final group match on Monday.
The West African island nation overcame a nervous first-half performance to secure top spot in Group D ahead of Cameroon.
Cape Verde finished their fairytale qualifying campaign with 23 points, four more than Cameroon who were held to a 0-0 draw by Angola.
Dailon Livramento broke the deadlock by steering the ball home from close range just three minutes into the second half.
Willy Semedo added a second goal with another tap-in just six minutes later to double the lead.
Veteran defender Stopira, who came on as a late substitute, completed the scoring with a stoppage-time goal.
The 37-year-old Stopira’s goal served as a fitting tribute to his long service with the national team since 2008.
The island’s 600,000 inhabitants were given a day off to support their team but had little to cheer about in a tentative first half.
Celebrations erupted across the archipelago after Livramento’s opening goal finally broke the deadlock.
Cape Verde now join Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria and Ghana as the African representatives at next year’s finals in North America.
They become the second smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup after Iceland, who competed in 2018.
Cameroon face the prospect of advancing to the playoffs for the four best runners-up across the nine African qualifying groups.
The Indomitable Lions were jeered off the pitch in Yaounde after failing to beat Angola, whose 39-year-old goalkeeper Hugo Marques made several crucial saves.
Tunisia completed their World Cup qualifying campaign without conceding a single goal after beating Namibia 3-0.
The Carthage Eagles finished their Group H campaign unbeaten with nine wins from ten matches, scoring 22 goals.
Ali El Abdi converted a first-half penalty in Tunis before Hannibal Mejbri and captain Ferjani Sassi added second-half strikes.
Namibia finished second in the group despite suffering their third defeat in four qualifiers, but lack sufficient points to advance as one of the best runners-up.
Liberia finished third in Group H after drawing 1-1 with Equatorial Guinea, who fielded a new-look team under a new coach.
Sao Tome e Principe earned their first points of the campaign with a 1-0 victory over Malawi, ending an 18-match winless run.
The tiny island nation, ranked 195th in the world, secured their historic win through a 62nd-minute penalty from Portuguese-based striker Ronald Lumungo. – Reuters
