CAIRO: Morocco’s capital Rabat will host next month’s African World Cup playoffs, using three different stadiums for the three matches, the Confederation of African Football said on Wednesday.
Nigeria take on Gabon on November 13 at 1600GMT, followed by Cameroon against the Democratic Republic of Congo at 1900 GMT.
A draw, to be held on Thursday, will decide which game is played at the Stade El Barid and which will go ahead at Prince Heritier Moulay El Hassan Sports Complex.
The semifinal winners then meet in a deciding game on November 16 at the Stade Prince Heritier Moulay Abdellah with the winners advancing to the inter-continental playoffs in March.
Nine African teams have already qualified for the World Cup, each finishing top of their groups, and the March playoff will decide the continent’s 10th representatives at next year’s finals in Canada, Mexico and the US
The four teams in the November playoffs were the best runners-up across the nine African qualifying groups.
Four different stadiums in Rabat will be used at the Africa Cup of Nations finals, which start on December 21. The newly built Stade Prince Heritier Moulay Abdellah will host the Cup of Nations final on January 18.
African World Cup playoffs to be held in Rabat
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African World Cup playoffs to be held in Rabat
- A draw, to be held on Thursday, will decide which game is played at the Stade El Barid
- The semifinal winners then meet in a deciding game on November 16
Brilliant Bodo/Glimt beat Sporting Lisbon 3-0 in Champions League last-16 first leg
- The Portuguese side showed a glimmer of attacking intent to start the second half but it was quickly snuffed out
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN: Another stellar display on their artificial home turf at the Aspmyra Stadium gave Norway’s Bodo/Glimt a 3-0 win over Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Wednesday.
The Portuguese side joined the long list of big-name European clubs that have made the journey to the little fishing town inside the Arctic Circle and came away empty-handed as Bodo romped to an easy victory on the night that puts them in the driving seat for a spot in the quarter-finals.
Luis Suarez blazed an early chance over the bar for the visitors but after that their hosts took over, and they went ahead just after the half-hour mark after Giorgos Vagiannidis bundled over Sondre Brunstad Fet in the box.
After a VAR check, the midfielder confidently stroked home the penalty he had won to give his side the lead.
The hosts were 2-0 up by the break, and though there was a slice of luck involved as Jens Petter Hauge’s through ball deflected into the path of Ole Didrik Blomberg, there was nothing lucky about his superb finish from a tight angle to double his side’s advantage.
The Portuguese side showed a glimmer of attacking intent to start the second half but it was quickly snuffed out.
Bodo should have gone three up in the 55th minute after the ball pinged around in the box before eventually going out of play, with defender Jostein Gundersen heading the resulting corner straight at the keeper.
In total control of the game, Bodo grabbed the third goal their efforts deserved when Danish striker Kasper Hogh rounded off another fairytale effort, stealing between two defenders to deftly steer Hauge’s low cross from the left into the net from close range in the 71st minute.
The 3-0 win, Bodo’s fifth straight victory in the competition, leaves Sporting Lisbon with a mountain to climb in the second leg, which will take place in Lisbon next Tuesday.
“It was fun to play again, a fantastic round of 16 game — we still have a long way to go, but the result is fantastic. It will be an exciting week now ... we are halfway there, we know that things can change quickly in football so we have to be at our best again on Tuesday,” winger Hauge told Norway’s TV2.
“They (Sporting) are a good team with many good players, but we are also a fantastic team, we have shown that many times now.”
