The group stage of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023, concluded on Wednesday night, setting up some highly anticipated knock-out stage clashes.The group stage produced everything expected of the grit the AFCON is made of; stellar shocks, goals, records, history, and passionate fans turning up at match venues.𝟯𝟲 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀. 𝟭𝟲 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀. 🧮And that’s a wrap! 🎁Round of 16: 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗘 𝗚𝗢. #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/gHX6A8sAQ3— CAF (@CAF_Online) January 24, 2024 In the marquee match of the round, defending champions Senegal will take on tournament hosts Cote d’Ivoire.The Elephants suffered a shock 4-0 thrashing by Equatorial Guinea in their final group game but still advanced. They now face the daunting task of overcoming an in-form Senegalese side yet to drop points.Two more African heavyweights will collide when Nigeria meets Cameroon. Both teams had uneven group stages but remain continental powerhouses.Elsewhere, Morocco topped their group without conceding and will look to continue their fine form against South Africa.⌚️ FULL-TIME! The Atlas Lions with the win! 🦁#TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 | #ZAMMAR pic.twitter.com/L50l3P6X7C— CAF (@CAF_Online) January 24, 2024 After surprisingly winning Group A undefeated, underdogs Equatorial Guinea will try to cause another upset against Guinea.First-time knockouts Namibia face a stern challenge from two-time quarterfinalists Angola.Despite an underwhelming group stage, Egypt’s pedigree as the most successful CAF AFCON nation makes them dangerous opponents for DR Congo.##NAJAVA_MECA_7826128##Other intriguing clashes see Mali take on Burkina Faso while Cape Verde battle Mauritania.With sudden-death matches between some of Africa’s top sides, the CAF AFCON Round of 16 promises pulsating action and drama as heavy favorites and plucky underdogs collide.Below are the interesting fixtures to look out for:Nigeria v Cameroon Despite a shaky start, the two giants managed their qualification to the round of 16 after their final round of matches.Nigeria are hoping to end a decade of no CAF AFCON trophy.Rigobert Song is under pressure to give Cameroonians a better performance in the knockout stage after struggling in the group stage, where they won just a game.Obviously, one of the powerhouses will crash out in the round of 16.The game is on Saturday, January 27 at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in AbidjanAFCON 2023: Cameroon advances to round of 16 as Senegal secures top spot in Group CCape Verde v Mauritania After a shocking run in the group stage, which saw Cape Verde going unbeaten and leading a group involving two previous CAF AFCON champions, Egypt and Ghana, the Blue Sharks will have Mauritania to deal with in the round of 16.Amir Abdou has already exceeded expectations by getting this far with Mauritania.They can however write more history as they face Cape Verde. The game is on Monday, January 29 at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium.Equatorial Guinea v Guinea Equatorial Guinea shockingly managed to top a group involving hosts Côte D’Ivoire and Nigeria. They face a Guinean side who haven’t been consistent with results in this year’s CAF AFCON.The Syli Nationals will have the competition’s top scorer, Emilio Nsue to deal with in this fixture. The game is at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium on Sunday, January 28.⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️Ladies and gentlemen, your #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 group stage top scorer.. ⚡️ 🇬🇶 Emilio Nsue López 🇬🇶 pic.twitter.com/qogiMsNrF6— CAF (@CAF_Online) January 24, 2024 Angola v Namibia Namibia made history by qualifying to the knockout stage for the first time in their history since debuting in 1998.They face Angola who topped a group involving Burkina Faso, Algeria and Mauritania with 7 points.Angola will want more based on their record in the history of the competition; two times quarter finalists.The game is scheduled to take place at Stade de la paix in Bouake on January 27.AFCON2023: Namibia secure historic qualification as tournament ‘gifts’ first barren drawMali v Burkina Faso Burkina Faso brought their group-stage games to a disappointing end after losing 2-0 to Angola. Mali went unbeaten in all their group-stage games and will have the advantage of playing at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Kohorgo.The venue where they played most of their group games.The game is on January 29 at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium.Egypt vs D.R Congo Egypt qualified after drawing all group games, it was obviously not a good one for the Pharaohs. As the most successful country in the history of the competition, their presence in the knockout stage is a threat to any team they face and D.R Congo is no exception.The game will be played on January 28 at the Laurent Pokou Stadium.Senegal vs Côte d’lvoire Following their disappointing 4-0 defeat on the final day, host Côte d’lvoire only progressed after Zambia lost to Morocco in their final group F game.They have been handed a tough test against defending champions, Senegal.Ivory Coast sack the coach before the end of AFCONSenegal have a 100% record in the tournament and the fixture is a tough one for the host.The game will be played at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium on January 29.Morocco vs South Africa The 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-finalists are on track to win the CAF AFCON Côte d’Ivoire 2023.On their way to achieving the feat, they will face South Africa in the Round of 16.South Africa’s attack with Percy Tau and Themba Zwane will give the Moroccans a lot of problems to deal with.The game is on January 30 at the Laurent Pokou Stadium.Credit: CAF Online.AFCON 2023- GROUP STAGERound 3Monday Ivory Coast – Equatorial Guinea 0-4 (0-1)/Nsue 45, 57, Ganet 73, Buyla 88/Nigeria – Guinea Bissau 1-0 (1-0)/Sangante 36/Cape Verde – Egypt 2-2 (1-0)/Benchimol 45+1, Texeira 90+9 – Trezeguet 50, Mohamed 90+3/Mozambique – Ghana 2-2 (0-1)/Catamo 90+1 pen, Mandava 90+4 – J Ayew 15 pen, 67 pen/TuesdayGuinea 0 Senegal 2 /Seck 61, Ndiaye 90/Gambia 2 Cameroon 3 /Jallow 72, E. Colley 85 – Toko Ekambi 56, Gomez 87-og, Wooh 90+1/Mauritania – Algeria 1-0 (1-0)/Yali 37/Angola – Burkina Faso 1-0 (1-0)/Mabululu 36/WednesdayMali – Namibia 0-0 (0-0)Tunisia – South Africa 0-0 (0-0)Zambia – Morocco 0-1 (0-1)/Ziyech 37/Tanzania – DR Congo 0-0
