International Weekend in 20 Pictures
Over the weekend, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Cameroon became Africa's first representatives to book their places at the 2014 World Cup.
On Friday, we also saw ties involving eight European sides who are battling for the final four UEFA spots, which will be determined on Tuesday.
Over the following 20 slides, we take a look at some of the best images from the World Cup play-off action, ordered consecutively from Friday to Sunday.
Apologies to fans of Greece and Romania, whose first leg tie ended 3-1 in Athens. Also to fans of Nigeria and Ethiopia and supporters of Cameroon and Tunisia, who saw the Super Eagles qualify with a 2-0 victory and the Indomitable Lions win 4-1. At the time of writing, there are no pictures available of these teams.
Read on to see images of Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba and a debut appearance from "Papa Elephant."
Iceland: Size Doesn't Matter
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Iceland will travel to Zagreb on Tuesday, hoping to become the first country with a population of less than a million to qualify for the World Cup.
The Nordic country—who have 320,000 inhabitants, according to the BBC—drew the first leg of their play-off against Croatia 0-0.
The country that holds the record for the smallest population in World Cup history is Trinidad and Tobago at 1.337 million.
Lagerback: Proud of 10-Man Iceland
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Former Nigeria and Sweden manager Lars Lagerback watched as his Iceland side took on Croatia in Reykjavik on Friday.
Despite going down to 10 men, Iceland held on for a 0-0 draw.
Following the game, Lagerback told Icelandic television, via the BBC Sport website:
"The players did a fantastic job but the referee [Alberto Undiano] didn't have his best day. I'm not satisfied.
Someone watched the replay on TV and they said it [the red card] was very, very questionable, but it wasn't just that. In many situations the referee didn't know if he should blow or not.
To defend for almost 45 minutes with one less man on the pitch - I can't describe in words what these players have done.
"
Kovac: Croatia's Saviour?
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Former Croatia captain and current manager Niko Kovac did not look amused as he watched his side record a scoreless draw against Iceland.
Kovac was appointed manager in October, following Igor Stimac's departure.
Ahead of the meeting, Aleksandar Holiga of the Guardian wrote last week:
"And even though he [Kovac] is still a beginner in this new role, he is starting his tenure with more universal acceptance than any Croatia manager before him: while not exactly being hailed as the saviour, the nation is counting on his charisma to lift the team from the low point they reached under Stimac.
"
Croatia will take on Iceland in Zagreb on Tuesday, November 19.
Portugal vs. Sweden
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A Portugal fan showed his colours during last Friday's first leg play-off clash at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon.
Joao Moutinho: Portugal
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Monaco and Portugal midfielder Joao Moutinho struck an acrobatic pose in his country's 1-0 win against Sweden on November 15.
Ronaldo 1, Zlatan 0
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In a game that swiftly became billed as the battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Real Madrid superstar scored the only goal of the game in the first leg of Portugal's play-off with Sweden.
With everything to play for, the two sides will meet again on November 19.
Ibrahimovic: Human After All?
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Nani, Pepe, Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso bore down on Zlatan Ibrahimovic during Friday's tie. The Swede failed to make an impact on the game—proving that, like the rest of us, he does have off days.
The Paris Saint-Germain striker will have to put in a good performance at Solna's Friends Arena, if Sweden are going to have any hope of progressing to the World Cup.
Ukraine vs. France
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A Ukrainian fan, a cheerleader or maybe someone who just likes pom poms and, er, buoyant hair saw her country record an important 2-0 home win against France on November 15.
The Ukraine have lost out in their last three play-off attempts: Croatia (1998), Germany (2002) and Greece (2010), per BBC Sport.
Patrice Evra: Overrun in Ukraine
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Patrice Evra got sandwiched between two Ukrainian players in France's first-leg tie at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv.
France face an uphill battle to overturn the 2-0 deficit in Tuesday's game at the Stade de France.
Yarmolenko Penalty
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Andriy Yarmolenko celebrated scoring the Ukraine's second goal against France in last Friday's play-off tie.
The Dynamo Kyiv winger slotted home a penalty in the 82nd minute after Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny had brought down Roman Zozulia in the area.
Koscielny: Les Bleus Defender Sees Red
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France and the Ukraine were both forced to play out the final few minutes of stoppage time with 10 men on Friday. Laurent Koscielny and Olexandr Kucher both saw red after receiving two yellow cards apiece from referee Cuneyt Cakir.
Fedetskiy: The 'Zlatan Approach'
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Ukrainian defender Artem Fedetskiy ensured that FIFA Ballon d'Or nominee Franck Ribery got nowhere near the ball by using a technique best described as the "Zlatan approach."
Hosts Outmuscle Visitors
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This picture sums up the match quite well, as France were outmuscled and outmaneuvered by Ukraine over the course of their 2-0 defeat in Kyiv.
Ukraine to Progress?
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Ukrainian fans celebrated their side's 2-0 win against France. The eastern European side are in a good position going into the second leg of the play-off on November 19.
Deschamps: "We Have to Believe"
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France manager Didier Deschamps remained positive following his side's 2-0 loss against the Ukraine.
If Les Bleus fail to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, it will be the first time in two decades that they have not been a part of the tournament.
However, as seen on TF1 (via ESPN FC), Deschamps still has faith in his side ahead of Tuesday's definitive qualifier:
"It was a fight. We had a lot of opportunities. But the first goal gave them more strength. We made a mistake on the penalty.
Obviously this is a very bad result for us. But we have to believe. The best position is that of Ukraine who have it today but we still have 90 minutes with us at home.
"
A Win for (all) the Elephants
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Anyone who watches a match clad in a giant elephant-shaped sleeping bag gets my vote as best supporter of the play-offs.
This Ivory Coast fan saw his team clinch qualification to the 2014 World Cup after the Elephants drew 1-1 with Senegal, winning 4-2 over two legs.
Senegal vs. Ivory Coast
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Senegal's Moussa Sow was denied by Ivory Coast centre-back Sol Bamba.
Sow's penalty in the 77th minute gave the hosts the lead, but Salomon Kalou brought the scores level deep into stoppage time with his strike for the visiting side.
Ivory Coast: Victorious in Casablanca
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Ivory Coast players celebrated Saturday's 4-2 aggregate win away to Senegal.
The game was played in Casablanca, Morocco due to a ban on home internationals for the Lions of Teranga.
Dider Drogba. Plus Admirers.
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Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba celebrated after beating Senegal over two legs to reach the 2014 World Cup.
It's the third time in a row that the Elephants have qualified for the competition. The men in flat caps look rather happy, too.
Papa Elephant
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Now that we know his name, the last word has to go to this man.
Papa Elephant, we'll see you in Brazil.
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