Nigeria may have kept their FIFA World Cup qualification hopes alive with a 1-0 win over Rwanda on the weekend, but the injury to star striker Victor Osimhen, which has reportedly ruled him out of Tuesday's clash against South Africa, could prove decisive.
The Super Eagles need to win all their remaining qualifiers to reach the 2026 showpiece in the Americas, and South Africa are leading their group ahead of Tuesday's match, having beaten Lesotho 2-0 on the weekend.
Galatasaray's Osimhen was replaced against Rwanda mid-way through the first half, and head coach Eric Sekou Chelle all but confirmed on Sunday that the striker would not face Bafana Bafana. According to various reports, he did not travel to Bloemfontein for Tuesday's match.
The status of the group after the weekend's fixtures is that the victory took the Super Eagles to 10 in the campaign, and up from fourth to third place but they are still six points off leaders South Africa.
Benin Republic's Cheetahs, led by former Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr, are in second place following their 1-0 win over Zimbabwe in Abidjan on Friday, and they have a final-day meet-up with the Super Eagles on October 14.
But what else did we learn from the Rwanda clash that could be of use to the Super Eagles?
Respite for the coach... for now
Sekou Chelle had questions to answer following June's round of results, which were followed by a disastrous CHAN campaign. With the Super Eagles needing to win all four games, starting with this, the coach was under pressure to deliver.
He started by making the bold choice of dropping his captain William Troost-Ekong to the bench in favour of youngster Benjamin Fredericks, whose international debut only came in the Unity Cup earlier in the year.
The choice paid off, with the starlet slotting in seamlessly alongside Calvin Bassey and playing the full 90 minutes.
With the Amavubi game plan based on quick transitions and speed on the break, the young defender looked impressively capable of matching the visitors for stride, and defending smartly when needed, in addition to playing the ball out the back with confidence.
The win provides some respite for the coach going into Tuesday's tango with Bafana Bafana.
Arokodare stepped up
While the loss of Osimhen is cause for concern for Sekou Chelle and the Super Eagles, Tolu Arokodrae's presence was a much needed light at the end of what has been a dark tunnel in the search for backup strikers. At least for now.
Cyriel Dessers was the replacement for Osimhen when he came off, and while he showed a lot of running and effort, did not quite look as dangerous.
Arokodare's introduction in the second half changed that. The forward was imperious in his aerial dominance, as is to be expected for a man of his height.
Beyond that, his hold up play and accuracy in linking up with his teammates from long balls was exemplary, and his first touch from long balls, were only negated by some marginal offside calls.
All of this was exemplified in the goal he scored. The former KRC Genk forward held the ball up and then played it in for Moses to dart past and send it into the box. His initial effort was blocked, but he showed his speed of thought and quick reflexes to stick his foot out to net his second international goal.
The speed of thought to swing his boot for an overhead kick while on the turf was just as impressive, especially as it got the game's only goal.
Nwabali walking a tightrope
Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali came this close to derailing the efforts of his teammates after allowing himself to be baited into handbags with Rwanda's Innocent Nshuti.
The goalkeeper showed a complete lack of control in getting into a hands on altercation with the midfielder, and was lucky to only get away with a yellow card from the Gabonese referee.
On a different day, a different time and perhaps a different official, he would have seen a different colour and reduced his team to ten men. After that incident, he was riled again into shoving another player while attempting to a quick counter attack.
Bafana will be watching and if they are smart, should have someone yanking his chain during that game.
Sekou Chelle may need to have a world with his goalie ahead of Tuesday.