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Nigeria and Tanzania inched closer to the third round of the African qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, India 2022 after positive results in their first leg matches on Sunday.
In the other two, Benin forced Morocco to a 1-1 draw in Poto Novo, while in Monrovia, Guinea were held by Liberia to a 2-2 draw.
In Kinshasa, Nigeria gained the early advantage of the second round following a 3-0 first leg win over 10-girl DR Congo.
The Nigerians took time to settle in well against the young female Leopards and eventually broke the deadlock in the 36th minute when Blessing Emmanuel found the back of the net.
After slowly regaining possession in the second half, the West Africans increased their tally thanks to another sublime finish from Oluwatunmininu Adeshina in the 66th minute.
Four minutes later, the hard-fighting hosts were dealt a major blow as they were reduced to 10 girls after Anastasie Nwanji's sending off. The numerical advantage paved way for the visitors to further pull away with a third of the match off the foot of Opeyemi Ajakaye six minutes later to seal their away triumph.
With the win, the Nigerians will seek to build on their lead and guarantee their passage at the expense of the Congolese in the reverse fixture at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium on March 19.
Elsewhere, Tanzania inched closer to a place in the next round after a 7-0 trouncing of Botswana in the first leg in Zanzibar.
The Tanzanite got off to a flying start when Neema Paul opened the scoring just three minutes into the contest at the Amaan Stadium. Although the visitors managed to hold on for a little while, Paul doubled goal-hungry Tanzania's lead in the 33rd minute with her second of the match.
Five minutes from the break, Clara Luvanga made it three for the hosts before Aisha Juma added the fourth before the sound of the half time whistle. The rampant CECAFA giants continued after the recess with Juma grabbing her second and third of the match for Tanzania's fifth and sixth. In the closing stage, Luvanga compounded the visitors' woes when she bagged her brace and seventh of the day at the death.
The big win piles pressure on Botswana as the Southern African side will seek to revive their qualification dream against the Tanzanite at Obed Irani Chilume Stadium in two weeks.
In Cotonou, Zouhir Yasmine's 12th minute effort almost broke the heart of the hosts before Yasminath Djibril struck11 minutes later rescued the Benin Republic from a home defeat at the hands of Morocco at Stade Charles de Gaulle.
The North Africans will look to complete a double at youth level over the West Africans after a U20 triumph when they meet in the second leg at Stade Moulay Hassan, Rabat on March 19.
Similarly, no victor, no vanquished at Antoinette Tubman Stadium as Liberia and Guinea ended in a stalemate in Monrovia.
The Guineans raced into the lead off Fanta Sidibe's 16th minute effort but Hawa Fatomah levelled nine minutes later for the Liberians. The thrilling encounter continued as Fatoumata Samoura recovered the lead for the visitors from the spot three minutes after the restart but Zeta Kromah's brilliant finish three minutes later ensure both teams shared the spoils.
With a four-goal thriller, the second leg at Stade du 28 Septembre in Conakry on March 20 promises another tasty tie between the two West Africans in a quest for third round spot. - Confederation of African Football
