The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations has actually been a competition of upsets with favourites Morocco, safeguarding champs Senegal and record-winners Egypt all out of the competitors before the quarterfinals.
Here’s our run down of the competition’s last-eight phase, which is set to happen throughout Friday and Saturday:
1. Nigeria vs Angola: Friday, February 2 at 17:00 GMT
After the scything down of African footballing giants in the group phase and round of 16, Nigeria stand as clear favourites to declare a 4th AFCON title.
It’s been far from plain cruising for the Super Eagles after an attract their opening match with Equatorial Guinea established a tense 2nd match with host Ivory Coast. Nigeria’s 1-0 win set them en route to 2nd area in the group, which was later on verified by a 1-0 win versus Guinea-Bissau in the 3rd video game.
The last-16 encounter with Cameroon was a repeat of the 1984 last and was billed as the very best striker Victor Osimhen vs the very best goalkeeper Andre Onana. As it was, Onana was benched once again by coach Rigobert Song while Ademola Lookman bagged both objectives to send out Nigeria through. Osimhen was applauded for his “wonderful” efficiency, nevertheless, and it was his vigorous running that established the very first objective. It’s simply one objective in 4 matches as the competition for the African Footballer of the Year, and whether he discovers his goalscoring touch in tighter video games might be the balance in between success or failure for the Super Eagles.
Angola are just the minnows rapidly ending up being a force. The 2019 champs Algeria were the Southern African country’s greatest test in the group phase. A 1-1 draw with them served the Angolans much better as they topped the group with success versus Burkina Faso and Mauritania, while the Algerians ended up bottom. As fine a run as Angola have actually had, anything besides a success for Nigeria would be the most significant shock of a competition that has actually currently sprung a lot of surprises.
Skyrocketing Eagle @victorosimhen9 in the middle of Lions. Include your own caption #SoarSuperEagles #letsDoItAgain #ourAfcon #africanfootball #afcon 2023 pic.twitter.com/RF0ROoXraA
— Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) January 29, 2024
2. DRC vs Guinea: Friday, February 2 at 20:00 GMT
Previous winners in 1968 and 1974, DRC were, and to some level still are, far from anticipated oppositions. The Central African country have yet to win a video game in regular time at this year’s edition. Their 2nd area in the group, behind competition favourites Morocco, was protected through 3 draws. The 2012 winners Zambia were pressed into the 3rd area. Ending up in between these sides is not an accomplishment to be smelled at, no matter the way it was accomplished.
The magnificent Egypt, record AFCON winners and beat finalists in the last edition, waited for in the round of 16. The Pharaohs likewise were looking for their very first win and lacked the hurt Mohamed Salah. The Congolese summoned just one shot on target in a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes, while the Pharaohs had Hamdy Mahmoud Shefedin sent in the very first half of additional time. The match nevertheless was headed to charges and the rest, similar to the Egyptians, was history.
Guinea conquered The Gambia, among just 2 groups to stop working to sign up a point in the group phases, to protect a finest third-place surface in Group C, having actually likewise taken a point off Cameroon while likewise yielding as both other groups did to Senegal. It established a West African derby in the last 16 with Equatorial Guinea, who had actually topped their group from Nigeria and Ivory Coast. The video game seemed heading to charges till Mohamed Bayo scored the most recent objective in regular time in AFCON history as he headed home in the 98th minute to send out Guinea on their method.
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Who goes all the method? #TotalEnergiesAFCON 2023 pic.twitter.com/2Z4kuirC1B
— CAF (@CAF_Online )January 30, 2024
3. Mali vs Ivory Coast: Saturday, February 3 at 17:00 GMT
In what has actually been a competition of underdogs, Mali can rather appropriately dismiss the idea that they are among the surprise plans provided their lead in the group of death. South Africa ended up second and Nambia 3rd, as Tunisia, the group favourites, were sent out packaging. Mali, whose finest surface was as runners-up in 1972, opened with a 2-0 win versus the Bafana before drawing with Namibia and Tunisia to send out the North Africans home and protect the leading area in spite of resting half their group for the last video game.
The stars returned for their 2-1 win versus Burkina Faso in the last 16 although they did sustain a nervy ending that included a late prohibited equaliser. Ivory Coast meantime, endured the closest of culls at the group phase– one that saw their supervisor Jean-Louis Gasset’s agreement ended even with certification still a possibility. The Elephants opened the competition with a 2-0 win versus Guinea-Bissau however the defeat by Nigeria was followed by an embarrassing 4-0 knocking by Equatorial Guinea. That sufficed to see off Gasset in spite of the prospective reprieve of development as one of the very best third-place finishers. The stay of execution looked as though it might be temporary with hot favourites and safeguarding champs Senegal waiting in the round of 16.
The Elephants, knowledgeable about the job at hand, attempted to”loan “previous supervisor Herve Renard from his function as France Women’s supervisor however the French federation declined the relocation. Over to previous global Emerse Fae to step up from the backroom personnel and lead his side to a success on charges, made even more impressive by the Elephants’renewal in the match itself not to mentioned all that had actually preceded. The best of sporting redemptions is now on.
Those round of 16 video games brought the total bundle. #TotalEnergiesAFCON 2023 pic.twitter.com/vsEiVC8ycs
— CAF(@CAF_Online)January 31, 2024
4. Cape Verde vs South Africa: Saturday, February 3 at 20:00 GMT
Cape Verde have actually been the talk of the competition given that topping a group that consisted of both Egypt and Ghana, who boast 11 AFCON prizes in between them. Their 2-1 win versus Ghana in the 2nd match of the competitors was the trigger that lit the expect all the shocks that followed. They did have a dreadful protective mix-up by the Black Stars to thank for the injury-time winner by Mendes Rodrigues. A 3-0 win versus Mozambique protected their certification before a 2-2 draw with Ghana rounded things up.
Their 2nd AFCON quarterfinal look, having actually reached this phase in 2013, was not so quickly protected however, as they needed to await an 88th-minute charge from Ryan Mendes to protect their passage. Alternatively, South Africa’s round-of-16 tie was another the competition’s now long list of impressive tales as Bafana downed World Cup semifinalists and clear AFCON favourites, Morocco, to reach the last 8.
Having actually currently thumped neighbours Nambia 4-0 in the group phase to complete 2nd to Mali, South Africa produced a scintillating 2nd half to reverse the chances versus their challengers from the opposite end of the continent. Proof Magkopa and Teboho Mokoena scored the objectives to send out the Atlas Lions on their method home and blow the competitors large open.