After a thrilling group matches at the ongoing TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021, the stage is set for the round of 16 matches as the men continued to be separated from the boys.
The last group matches were full of drama as the ‘minnows’ proved that football on the continent is gradually evolving and no country should be underrated at any point in time. The upsets in the tournament, begun with Debutants, Comoros, defeating Four-time African Champions, Ghana, 3-2 to finish third in Group C.
The defeat saw the Black Stars exit the tournament at the group stages, first time in 16 years. The maximum three points were enough to see Comoros through to the round of 16, qualifying as one of the best third placed teams. Comoros will now face five-time champions and host, Cameroon, at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde on Monday, January 24, 2022.
As disappointing as it was, losing 3-1 to the Elephants of La Cote d’Ivoire was not an upset but exiting the tournament in the group stages without winning a single game, scoring just a goal, and finishing at the bottom with just a point, was one of the major upsets in the tournament. This was how defending champions, Algeria, fared in Cameroon.
A goalless draw against Sierra Leone and a shocking 1-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea were the early warning signs that Algeria was on the brink of a shocking early exit in the tournament. The Elephants, seeking revenge after being eliminated in the quarter finals by the Algerians in the previous edition , drove the final nail in the coffin. The win was not only a sweet revenge but also extended Cote d’Ivoire’s dominance over Algeria in the AFCON.
Debutants Gambia in round of 16
Unlike Algeria and Ghana, Tunisia was fortunate to have escaped an early exist despite suffering a shocking 1-0 defeat to Debutants, Gambia, in the final Group F match.
The Carthage Eagles lost 1-0 to Mali in the ‘clash of the Eagles’ but recorded a convincing 4-0 win over Mauritania. This three points were enough to see Tunisia through to the round of 16 but another major task awaits the team as it faces tournament favorites, Nigeria, at the Roumde Adjia Stadium in Garoua on Sunday, January 23, 2022.
Debutant, Gambia, seeks to continue its history making journey at the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations when it faces Guinea at the Kouekong Stadium in Bafoussam on Monday, January 24, 2022. Gambia finished second in Group F but levelled on points with Mali who beat Mauritania 2-0 in Douala.
So far, a total of 36 matches have been played with 68 goals scored, an average of 1.89 goals/match. Host, Cameroon, has scored the highest number of goals (7) in the competition so far with skipper Vincent Abubakar leading the scoring chat with 5 goals. Nigeria was the team with the highest number of points (9) in the Group stages of the competition. Senegal boasts of the best defense so far in the competition as it is yet to concede a goal after the first three matches.
Following the conclusion of the Group Stage of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021, the Round of 16 matches will commence on Sunday, January 23, 2022 with the Stallions of Burkina Faso taking on Gabon at the Limbe Stadium at 16:00hrs GMT. This will be followed by the match between Tunisia and Nigeria at the Roumde Adjia Stadium in Garoua at exactly 19:00hrs GMT the same day.
Following are the times, dates and venues of the Round of 16 games (local time):
Sunday 23 January 2022
17:00 – Burkina Faso v Gabon (Limbe Stadium, Limbe)
20:00 – Nigeria v Tunisia (Roumde Adjia Stadium, Garoua)
Monday 24 January 2022
17:00 – Guinea v Gambia (Kouekong Stadium, Bafoussam)
20:00 – Cameroon v Comoros (Olembe Stadium, Yaounde)
Tuesday 25 January 2022
17:00 – Senegal v Cape Verde (Kouekong Stadium, Bafoussam)
20:00 – Morocco v Malawi (Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, Yaounde)
Wednesday 26 January 2022
17:00 – Cote d’Ivoire v Egypt (Japoma Stadium, Douala)
20:00 – Mali v Equatorial Guinea (Limbe Stadium, Limbe)
