Gabon’s forward Aubameyang scored all four goals in a thrilling 4-3 victory over The Gambia, boosting their hopes of World Cup qualification before receiving a red card late in the game.

The Panthers are just one point behind Group F leaders Ivory Coast, who convincingly defeated Seychelles 7-0.

Only the first-place team will guarantee a spot at the 2026 World Cup across the United States, Mexico, and Canada; however, the second-placed team still has a shot through African and intercontinental qualifying playoffs.

Knowing that the Ivorians were expected to win against winless Seychelles, Gabon needed all the points available on their trip to neutral Nairobi to keep their campaign alive.

Aubameyang opened the scoring twice in the first half, but each time Gabon was quickly drawn level by The Gambia.

The Gambian players Yankuba Minteh and Adama Sidibeh each found the net, and Sidibeh even gave The Gambia a 3-2 lead just after halftime.

Aubameyang equalized again, converting a downward header for his third goal just after the hour mark, followed by putting Gabon back in the lead with a powerful shot across the goal in the 78th minute.

However, the 36-year-old forward received a yellow card for kicking and damaging a corner flag as part of his celebration and was then sent off for a push on Gambian defender Alagie Saine with only five minutes remaining.

As a result, Aubameyang will miss Gabon’s final qualifying match against Burundi on Monday (19:00 GMT).

Gabon must secure a victory and rely on Ivory Coast to falter against Kenya simultaneously to make their World Cup dreams a reality, given their inferior goal difference compared to the leaders.

The Ivory Coast appears set to qualify for the tournament for the first time since 2014 after a dominant win over Seychelles in neutral Mauritius.

An early penalty from Ibrahim Sangare started the scoring for the reigning champions, followed by goals from Emmanuel Agbadou, Oumar Diakite, and Evann Guessand before halftime.

Yan Diomande then added a fifth after the break, Simon Adingra scored the sixth, and Franck Kessie capped off the scoring in the final minute.

In other news, Senegal and DR Congo will also head into their decisive matchday following victories on Friday.

Napoli’s Ismaila Sarr scored two goals to help the Teranga Lions secure a convincing 5-0 win over South Sudan.

Sarr found the net on the half-hour mark after volleying in an assist from Iliman Ndiaye. Sadio Mane followed up with another goal, also assisted by Ndiaye, just after the halftime break.

After scoring his second, Nicolas Jackson converted a penalty to make it 4-0, with Cherif Ndiaye adding the fifth goal in the 75th minute.

DR Congo kept their hopes alive by securing a 1-0 victory over Togo, thanks to an early goal from Cedric Bakambu.

With these results, Senegal maintains a two-point lead over DR Congo in Group B, and also possesses a three-goal edge in goal difference.

As the qualifiers conclude on Monday (19:00 GMT), Senegal will host Mauritania while DR Congo will play Sudan.

Sudan has been eliminated from contention for a second-place finish after a goalless stalemate with Mauritania.