Auba's miracle at Kasarani! Gabonese icon bags FOUR goals against McKinstry's Gambia and postpones Elephants' WC party!

Ivory Coast were expected to crush Seychelles in the penultimate 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying round, and the Elephants did what they needed to do, destroying the sorry rivals 7-0. However, they would only book a ticket for the USA, Mexico, and Canada if Gabon failed to beat The Gambia at the Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi.

And the Elephants would have thrown a massive WC party had it not been for one man - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Olympique Marseille striker scored all four goals for Gabon in the Panthers' 4-3 win over Johnny McKinstry's crew!

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The former Gor Mahia boss had an unpleasant return to the Kenyan capital, as his team, led by the outstanding Yankuba Minteh, had a 3-2 lead at the hour mark, but Auba managed to erase all the mistakes Gabon's defence made and single-handedly beat the rivals, keeping the Panthers only one point away from the leaders, the Ivory Coast.

Hence, the ultimate qualifying round, scheduled for next Tuesday, will decide who will go to the World Cup directly and who will have to wait for the second-place teams' playoffs. The entire country of Gabon will definitely cheer for Harambee Stars, as an eventual Kenya win or draw against the Elephants on the road and the Panthers' victory over Burundi at home will take Auba and Co. to the World Cup.

We're in for a wild finish!

Even before the duels in Group F of the 2026 FIFA World Cup African qualifiers started, it was clear that the clash between The Gambia and Gabon at the Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi would give many more answers.

The table-toppers, Ivory Coast, were to face the continental minnows, Seychelles - the team that conceded 39 goals in eight qualifying games. Hence, the Elephants' victory was never questionable.

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Emerse Fae's men were 4-0 up already after the first 45 minutes. Ibrahim Sangare broke the deadlock from the spot after seven minutes, and then goals in Seychelles' net just came one after another. Until the break, Emmanuel Agbadou, Oumar Diakite, and Evan Guessand made it 4-0, so the Elephants could have focused on the duel in the Kenyan capital and cheer for Johnny McKinstry's Gambia, whose eventual win or draw would have taken the Ivory Coast to their first World Cup after a 12-year absence.

Fae's crew's scoring spree continued after the break at the same intensity. Yan Diomande made it 5-0 in the 55th minute, scoring at his national team debut, while Simon Adingra scored goal #6 13 minutes later. The final touch on the Elephants' triumph was Franck Kessie's last-minute goal, as the ex-Barcelona midfielder set the final score - 7-0.

Still, the Elephants' party will have to be postponed for a while all because of the great Auba.

The opening half in Nairobi brought four goals as well, though in this clash, they were evenly distributed - two on each side.

Gabon were up twice thanks to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's goals and the Gambia's defence's poor judgements and even worse reactions following long balls, but McKinstry's men managed to bounce back twice.

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Just three minutes after Auba's 20th-minute opener, Yankuba Minteh equalized, while Adama Sidibeh (to Brighton's forward's assist) levelled the second time deep in added time, annulling Marseille's striker's second goal scored in the 42nd minute.

Interestingly, each custodian recorded an assist in the first half (?!), as Gabon's second and Minteh's goals came after keepers' fantastic long balls. At the same time, the Scorpions were better in the first half, had several more chances over Musa Barrow, but failed to gain edge before the break.

Nevertheless, just two minutes into the second half, McKinstry's men took the lead for the first time in the game! Sidibeh was once again ruthless toward Gabon's defence, putting a massive dent in the Panthers' World Cup plans - 3-2!

Minutes later, the keeper Loyce Mbaba and a goal-line clearance saved the visitors from suffering a complete catastrophe. This way, their hopes were still alive, and in the 63rd minute, they were up and running again, as Auba came to the rescue, completing a hat-trick and equalizing the score!

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Still, that wasn't the 36-year-old's last word. On the contrary, twelve minutes before the end, the renowned net-buster bagged his fourth goal, giving Gabon a vital advantage ahead of the finish of the match and keeping his team's head above water in Group F!

However, Auba lost his head in the finish of the game, receiving two yellow cards in a short period, meaning that he wouldn't be able to help his teammates in the final round against Burundi. At the same time, the entire Gabon will cheer for Harambee Stars against Ivory Coast, as the Panthers can qualify directly for the World Cup only if Ivory Coast fail to beat Kenya. Both clashes will be played on Tuesday.

WC QUALIFICATION AFRICA - MATCHDAY 9

Thursday

Burundi - Kenya 0-1 (0-0)

/Ogam 72/

Botswana - Uganda 0-1 (0-0)

/Ssemugabi 55/

Liberia - Namibia 3-1 (2-0)

/Kosiah 3 pen, Bah 9, Ledlum 81 - Karuuombe 87/

Malawi - Equatorial Guinea POSTPONED

Mozambique - Guinea 1-2 (1-1)

/Mandava 19 - Traore 2, 59/

Somalia - Algeria 0-3 (0-2)

/Amoura 6, 58, Mahrez 19/

Friday

South Sudan - Senegal 0-5 (0-1)

/Sarr 29, 54, Mane 46, Jackson 60 pen, Ndiaye 75/

Gambia - Gabon 3-4 (2-2)

/Minteh 23, Sidibeh 45+2, 47 - Aubameyang 20, 42, 62, 78/

Seychelles - Ivory Coast 0-7 (0-4)

/Sangare 7 pen, Agbadou 17, Diakite 32, Guessand 39, Diomande 55, Adingra 67, Kessie 90/

Sudan - Mauritania 0-0

Togo - Dr Congo 0-1 (0-1)

/Bakambu 7/

19.00: (16.0) Lesotho (7.50) Nigeria (1.17)

19.00: (2.90) Rwanda (3.00) Benin (2.70)

19.00: (35.0) Sao Tome (14.0) Tunisia (1.02)

19.00: (17.0) Zimbabwe (5.20) S.Africa (1.25)

***odds are subject to change***