William Troost-Ekong opened the scoring from the penalty spot after a Lesotho handball, before Akor Adams doubled the lead with a composed finish. Lesotho pulled one back through Kalake late in the game, but Nigeria held on to claim all three points.

Despite the victory, Nigeria remain second in Group C with 14 points, trailing leaders Benin Republic who won their own match to move to 17 points. With only one game left, Nigeria’s qualification hopes are still uncertain.

To top the group and qualify automatically, Nigeria must defeat Benin in the final match. They will also need to hope South Africa and Benin drop points, or significantly improve their goal difference in the event of a points tie.

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Lesotho, meanwhile, see their slim qualification hopes all but ended, sitting on nine points with little chance of progression.

Source: Punch