World Cup Qualifying Playoffs: Standout Stats

After a weekend of nations battling it out for a place in the most prestigious international tournament of them all, we look back through the action to pick out the important stats.

Whether it's one of the game's best striker's having one of his worst games or a team recording the biggest winning margin, then we have the stat for you...

Zlatan Thinking Outside the Box

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Ahead of Portugal's clash against Sweden, all the talk surrounded Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Unsurprisingly, Ronaldo did what he does best and shone when it mattered most—scoring the game's only goal to set up a tense second leg.

Ibrahimovic, however, had a game to forget. The Sweden striker failed to register a single touch in the opposition box all evening.

Resolute Ukraine Heading to Brazil

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Ukraine had lost their previous three World Cup playoffs—to Croatia in 1998, Germany in 2002 and Greece in 2010—but look well on their way to a place in Brazil following their 2-0 win over France.

Ukraine have now kept eight consecutive clean sheets and are unbeaten in 12 matches.

Mexico Find Shooting Boots When It Matters Most

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Mexico put New Zealand to the sword in their first-leg playoff, beating the All Whites 5-1.

Their five goals in that solitary game were more than they were able to muster in their five home hexagonal matches combined.

Greece in Seventh Heaven

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Fernando Santos guided his side to a 3-1 win over an incredibly poor Romania outfit in Piraeus.

The win was Greece's seventh in a row, and Bogdan Stancu's goal for Romania was the only one they have conceded in those games.

Drogba and Co. Scrape Past Senegal

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Ivory Coast qualified for the World Cup with a rather nervy 4-2 aggregate win over Senegal. Their qualification is just the third in the country's history.

It is, however, coach Sabri Lamouchi's first participation in the event as either a player or a coach.

He was in France's preliminary squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup on home soil but was one of six players axed by coach Aime Jacquet before the tournament began.

Iceland Edge Towards Record-Breaking Qualification

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Iceland overcame the second-half sending-off of Olafur Skulason to hold on for a 0-0 draw with Croatia. 

The European minnows are now just a score draw away from reaching the World Cup finals for the first time in their history.

If they are to do so, then they will be the first nation with a population of less than a million people to enter the tournament.

Nigeria First to the Post

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Victor Moses and Victor Obinna each scored to give Nigeria a comfortable 2-0 win over Ethiopia—a 4-1 aggregate win overall.

The win cemented the Super Eagles' place in the World Cup finals, and in doing so they became the first African nation to qualify. They last achieved that feat for the 1998 World Cup in France.

Five-Star Uruguay Break Record in Jordan Rout

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Uruguay broke a 79-year-old record for the biggest winning margin in a World Cup qualifying match as they thrashed Jordan 5-0. The previous largest margin came in 1934 as Egypt beat Palestine 3-0.

Second-Leg Show Sees Cameroon Qualify for Familiar Finals

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Cameroon put a disappointing first-leg goalless draw in Tunisia behind them as they comfortably won the second leg 4-1.

The Indomitable Lions qualified for the finals for the seventh time in their history—and the sixth time in seven attempts—which is more than any other African nation.