Either former Bendel Insurance goalkeeper, Amas Obasogie or Maduka Okoye, who last kept the goalpost for Nigeria in the 1-0 loss to Tunisia at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 match in Garoua, Cameroon, will man the goalpost for Nigeria in Monday;’s match with Rwanda.

Amas Obasogie was with Bendel Insurance until he moved to Ethiopia to feature for Fasil Ketema FC in Ethiopia.

But the more likely choice could be Okoye who is set to return to the team’s starting line-up.

He is expected to be the first consideration for the goalpost when Nigeria take on Rwanda on Monday night in an Africa Cup of Nations  qualifying match – Nigeria’s last match in the series.

If he mans the goalpost, it will be 1,030 days ( 2 years, 9 months, 26 days) since he last played an international match.

This is the sequel toHead Coach Augustine Eguavoen  excusing the first choice goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali from the Super Eagles’ squad to confront the Amavubi of Rwanda.

“He has been excused from the game. However, the player will come to watch the match and cheer his team mates on,” Team Administrator, Dayo Enebi Achor, told thenff.com.

The player announced via his social media handle on Friday that his father, Godspower Onyekam Abali, Chief Onyeogazrim 1 of Okwuzi, had passed on. The former chief surveyor was 67.

Ghana Black Stars’ race to Morocco 2025 Africa Cup of Nations has come to an end. The Black Stars put up spirited efforts but ended their away duel with Angola at 1-1.

They needed to win the match and also the next one at home next week against Niger Republic. But that Monday match has now turned into a dead rubber.

Had they won against Angola, they will strive to beat Niger Republic and hope the Sudan loses against Angola on Monday.

The calculations no longer hold. Yet Ghana began with a spirited effort as Jordan Ayew took a perfect free kick in the 18^th minute to give Ghana the lead. They held on till the second half before group leaders, Angola levelled up in the 64^th minute through Ambrosini António Cabaça Salvador, known professionally as Zini.

The result means that Ghana will be missing out at the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 20 years.

Group winners Nigeria and final-day opponents Rwanda have both landed at the Obong Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo ahead of Monday’s Matchday 6 clash in the concluding round of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

 Deflated but not altogether supine, the Amavubi still have a mathematical chance of qualifying, though their fate is not totally in their hands as they need result in Libya to be in their favour.

They missed a big opportunity to enhance their chances when losing at home to Libya’s Mediterranean Knights on Thursday, and can only make it to Morocco 2025 if they defeat Nigeria in Uyo and Libya are victorious against Benin Republic’s Cheetahs in North Africa on Monday.

The Super Eagles, confirmed group winners, have nothing to chase other than national pride and setting a right momentum for the more challenging World Cup qualifier.

They are more likely to play a more relaxed game against the visitors than the turgid contest with the Cheetahs at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan on Thursday night.

Nigeria’s delegation flew from the Ivorian capital, Abidjan, to Uyo aboard a chartered ValueJet aircraft, arriving at 3.50pm.

Rwanda’s delegation flew from Kigali to Lagos aboard a regular Rwandair flight, arriving at 1pm, before boarding an Ibom Air flight to Uyo. They landed in Uyo just before 5pm.

Uyo’s magnificent Godswill Akpabio Stadium is the venue, and a carnival atmosphere is expected as the Super Eagles celebrate for 90 minutes and afterwards with the AFCON ticket long in the bag.

Both countries battled to a scoreless draw in their first confrontation in Kigali in September, though the jury is still out on Ademola Lookman’s first-half headed goal that was inexplicably chalked off by the Moroccan referee.

Incidentally, another Moroccan will be in the role of referee on Monday. 44-year-old Samir Guezzaz takes the stage in the centre at the game that kicks off at 5pm.

Guezzaz alongside his compatriots Zakaria Brinsi (assistant 1), Abdessamad Abertoune (assistant 2) and Kech Chaf Mustapha (fourth official) are scheduled to arrive in Nigeria on Saturday, same as Prosper Harrison Addo from Ghana (commissioner) and Ali Mohamed Ahmed from Somalia (referee assessor).