Following an interesting first round group stage, the Africa Cup of Nations last-16 line-up has been finalised. The first-round group stage in Cameroon produced spectacular goals, contentious incidents, and surprising results as 24 teams were reduced down to 16 for the first knock-out phase. The hosts will be attempting to avoid an upset, while some of the favourites will be looking to demonstrate their worth in order to advance to the quarter-finals.
Despite a sluggish start, the tournament exploded into life with a barrage of spectacular goals, iconic moments, and big upsets, not least, the eliminations of Ghana and holders Algeria.
As we hit the knockout stages, there will be no second chances with eight clubs leaving.
First timer at the event, Comoros and Gambia, the competition favourites, Nigeria, and hosts Cameroon, will compete for the continental title. Here is what you should be aware of.
Algeria, the incumbent champion, and Ghana, the pre-tournament favourites, were both eliminated after the group stage matches ended on Thursday.
Gambia and Comoros, both debutants, made history by reaching the round of 16, while Nigeria cemented their place as favourites following a flawless group stage performance.
With six thrilling AFCON groups completed, 16 teams have earned their places in the knock-out stages. The tournament this year has been full of unexpected twists and turns.
Ghana, the four-time African champions, was the first team to withdraw early.
In their last group C match, the West Africans were defeated by debutants Comoros, who made history by qualifying as one of the four best-ranked third-placed teams.
Morocco also demonstrated their credentials by coming back from two goals behind to draw 2-2 with Gabon in their last group game and finish first in Group C.
Algeria, like Ghana, fell short of expectations after winning the last Nations Cup. The North Africans were eliminated after losing 3-1 to Cote d’Ivoire, who finished first in group E.
Algeria fell 1-0 to Equatorial Guinea after a goalless draw with Sierra Leone, who were competing in the AFCON for the first time since 1996. Cote d’Ivoire topped the group while Equatorial Guinea came in second.
Nigeria outperformed expectations, finishing first in their group with a perfect nine points after a decisive 3-1 victory over Sudan. After defeating Egypt 1-0 and Guinea Bissau 2-0, the three-time winners secured their place atop the table.
Egypt, the seven-time champions, kicked up their campaign with London 2012 Olympian Salah scoring the game’s solitary goal against Guinea Bissau before eliminating Sudan by the same score.
Cameroon, relieved to be hosting the event after a year delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, defeated Burkina Faso 2-1 before thrashing Ethiopia 4-1 to secure qualifying and a 1-1 draw against Cape Verde to secure top spot in Group A.
Senegal finished Group B with 7 points, led by another London 2012 Olympian, Sadio Mane.
Despite a goalless tie with Malawi in the final round, Africa’s top-ranked squad advanced to the next round following a scoreless stalemate with Guinea and a slender 1-0 victory over Zimbabwe.
Though they lost their last match 2-1 to Zimbabwe, Guinea advanced as the second-placed team from Group B due to a stronger head-to-head record over Malawi.
Gambia’s historic 1-0 win over 2004 champions Tunisia was the other huge surprise of the tournament so far. Both teams advanced to the last 16 together with Mali, who won 2-0 over Mauritania in Group F.
Moving forward, these are the teams that will face-off with each other as the round of 16 gets underway at the ongoing 2022 AFCON in Cameroon.
Burkina Faso will square off with Gabon.
Despite losing on the first day to Cameroon, Burkina Faso finished second in the group stage after scoring four points in their next two matches.
They will face a Gabon team that has performed excellently to finish second in Group B despite the absence of captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang due to illness.
Nigeria takes on Tunisia.
With three wins in a row, the Super Eagles have taken grip of the tournament, with no one willing to face a team that had arrived in disarray.
Off-field difficulties have been set aside, however, and the talent-filled team will look to beat Tunisia, who lost twice in their group but did triumph 4-0 against Mauritania — the largest margin of victory in the campaign thus far.
Senegal in for a showdown with Cape Verde.
So far, the pre-tournament favourites have only scored once, and that was thanks to a Sadio Mane penalty in a 1-0 victory over Zimbabwe.
They will have to elevate their game against a Cape Verde team that is capable of pulling off a surprise.
Mali welcomes Equatorial Guinea.
Mali, led by star striker Ibrahima Kone, will try to improve on their impressive group-topping performances when they face Equatorial Guinea, a club that few would have predicted to advance from the first round.
The upstarts, though, will try to extend their unexpected run in the competition after a dramatic triumph over holders Algeria followed by a win over Sierra Leone to clinch a well-deserved place in the knock-out stages.
Guinea goes against Gambia.
Guinea will be disappointed with their failure in their final group match against tiny Zimbabwe, despite reaching the second round, and faces another potentially humiliating setback in the form of Gambia.
Gambia, competing in their inaugural AFCON, were undefeated in their three group games and even scored a thrilling late win over Tunisia in their final match to set up this exciting match with their West African neighbours.
Cameroon takes on debutante Comoros.
On paper, the hosts will be pleased to have been drawn against the tournament debutants from the little island nation, as they came through their group reasonably unscathed.
They should not, however, take anything for granted after a remarkable 3-2 victory over Ghana, which saw Comoros qualify ahead of the Black Stars.
Cote d’Ivoire entertains the Pharaohs of Egypt.
Cote d’Ivoire responded to the shock of a late equaliser against Sierra Leone, as well as all of the attention that followed a bad Badra Ali Sangaré blunder, by putting in one of the tournament’s best performances to thrash defending champion Algeria and send them out of the competition.
They play an Egypt team that has been slowly developing in what might be another entertaining match between two teams tipped to winning the championship.
Morocco goes headlong with Malawi.
Morocco appears to be quietly going about their business in the competition, and they will be pleased to have won their group, which included Ghana, Gabon, and the surprise package Comoros.
Malawi, one of the competition’s underdog, will be buoyed by their 0-0 draw with Senegal in their final group encounter.
The following are the complete line-up of matches for the round of 16 encounter:
Burkina Faso will face Gabon on the 23rd of January, 2022, at 16:00 GMT, while Nigeria will face Tunisia at 19:00 GMT.
On the 24th of January, at 16:00, Guinea will face Gambia.
On the same day, at 19:00, Cameroon will face Comoros.
On the 25th of January, at 16:00, Senegal will face Cape Verde.
On the same day, at 19:00, Morocco will face Malawi.
On January 26th at 16:00, Cote D’Ivoire will face Egypt.
On the same day, at 19:00, Mali will face Equatorial Guinea.
