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Nigerian home based Super Eagles  did just enough to qualify for their second CHAN after they held hosts Burkina Faso to a 0-0 draw to advance 2-0 on aggregate. The first leg in Port Harcourt a week ago ended 2-0 in favour of the home-based Eagles. Hosts Burkina Faso dominated the return leg game, but just could not translate this dominance into goals as the Eagles struggled to find their bearing and did not create chances. And so the boast of Burkina Faso coach Idrissa Traore that his team will cancel out Nigeria’s two goals within 30 minutes of the second leg was therefore just what it was – a boast.

The Eagles starting strike force led by Sunshine Stars striker Tunde Adeniji, which also had Ezekiel Bassey and Osas Okoro, was again ineffective as was the case in the first leg in Nigeria. Gbolahan Salami and Chisom Chikatara were introduced in the second half in an effort to pep up the Nigeria attack. The highlight of the match was recorded in the 21st minute, when the home team Burkina Faso failed to go ahead from the penalty spot after Austin Oboroakpo handled the ball inside his own 18-yard box.
Abia Warriors defender Oboroakpo was booked for the hand ball. Oboroakpo, who has been compared to ‘Gentle Giant’ Uche Okechukwu, was outstanding in the heart of the Eagles defence as he kept out everything Les Etalons threw at them. It also showed where the pressure was.
Meanwhile, Guinea and Angola caused the biggest shocks of the weekend so far as they also qualified for the finals of the 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN 2016) in Rwanda. Guinea qualified for the tournament for locally based players for the first time after three failed attempts by eliminating Senegal. Angola lost at home to South Africa in the second leg of their qualifier, but still managed to progress thanks to an aggregate victory.
Hosts Senegal came from behind against Guinea on Saturday to triumph 3-1, but went out on away goals after losing the first leg 2-0 last weekend. Zambia, Gabon and Mali also booked places at the biennial tournament, which Rwanda hosts from 16 January to 7 February next year. Goals from Aboubacar Mouctar Sylla and Aboubacar Iyanga Sylla gave Guinea a 2-0 first-leg advantage over Senegal a week ago in a game switched to Mali because of the Ebola epidemic.
That advantage stretched to three goals just three minutes into the return match on an artificial surface at Stade Demba Diop in Dakar when Aboubacar Bangoura scored. Sylvain Badji triggered a Senegalese recovery with a 13th minute goal and a late second-half brace from Ibrahima Sory Keita set up a tense climax. However, Senegal could not snatch the fourth goal that would have taken them through, leaving Guinea to celebrate a historic victory.
A makeshift South African side regained some pride after a two-goal first leg defeat by snatching a stoppage time victory over Angola in Luanda in their return leg, although Angola went through 3-2 on aggregate. After Fabricio Mafuta conceded an own goal, the hosts levelled before half-time when ‘Gelson’ – or Jacinto Muondo Dala – punished slack marking to fire past goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands. Lyle Lakay scored the second leg winner six minutes into additional time off a fiercely-struck free kick that went in off the woodwork.
South African clubs refused to release national stars as CHAN matches are not staged on Fifa international dates, forcing coach Thabo Senong to pick out-of-favour first and second division footballers.