Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted all four goals in Gabon's thrilling 4-3 victory over The Gambia, boosting his team's aspirations of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time, but he received a red card late in the match.
The Panthers are trailing Group F leaders Ivory Coast by a point, who dominated Seychelles with a 7-0 victory.
Only the winning team of the group is guaranteed a place in the 2026 finals in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, but the second-placed team might still have an opportunity to qualify through African and intercontinental play-offs.
With the Ivorians expected to easily defeat the winless Seychelles, Gabon realized they realistically required all three points from their neutral match in Nairobi to keep their qualification hopes alive for the final round.
The West Africans took the lead two times in the first half thanks to former Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea forward Aubameyang, but were quickly equalized against on both occasions.
Yankuba Minteh and Adama Sidibeh brought the Gambians level, and Sidibeh then gave the Scorpions the lead just two minutes into the second half.
Aubameyang equalized for the third time when he completed his hat-trick with a header just after the hour mark, and then regained the lead for Gabon with a stunning strike across goal in the 78th minute.
However, the 36-year-old attacker received a yellow card for kicking and damaging a corner flag during his goal celebration and was sent off five minutes from the end for a needless push on Gambian defender Alagie Saine.
Aubameyang will now have to serve a suspension when Gabon concludes their campaign with a home match against Burundi on Monday at 19:00 GMT.
