Angola and Nigeria come unstuck in Nations Cup
A second-half goal rescued an away point for Group 6 pacesetters Angola in a 1-1 draw against Eritrea, but the Black Antelopes needed three points to have a chance of building an unassailable lead.
And revitalized Uganda converted two second-half penalties at home to come from behind and defeat Group 3 leaders Nigeria 2-1 in a thriller that throws the mini-league wide open with two rounds left.
South Africa consolidated their leadership of Group 11 by crushing visiting Chad 4-0 for a record win and Zambia are now the closest challengers after a 3-0 home triumph over Congo.
Senegal took a significant point in the struggle for Group 7 supremacy by forcing a 1-1 draw in Tanzania while Namibia stayed in the hunt for Group 10 honors with a 1-0 home win over Libya.
Equatorial Guinea dreams of a first appearance at the biennial showpiece of African football received a jolt when losing 2-0 away to bottom-of-the-table Rwanda in a Group 5 encounter.
Given little chance after a six-goal mauling in Angola last March, Eritrea shook the 2006 World Cup qualifiers by taking an early first half lead through Elias Abubaker.
Substitute Norberto 'Maurito' Mulenessa spared Angolan blushes with an equalizer on a notoriously hard, bumpy Asmara pitch where powerhouses like Cameroon and Nigeria have failed to win.
A Nigerian team packed with Europe-based professionals put a midweek pay dispute behind them to take a 25th-minute lead through France-based striker John Utaka in Kampala.
David Obua, whose father Dennis played for the Ugandan Cranes in the 1974 and 1976 Nations Cup tournaments, leveled from a 52nd-minute spot kick and Ibrahim Ssekajja was equally accurate from another penalty 13 minutes later.
Sibusiso Zuma scored twice and Siyabonga Nomvete once in their native Durban as South Africa won by four goals for the first time since returning to international football in 1992 after decades of apartheid-induced isolation.