By: Nana Kwame Bediako
The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), is gearing up for its final round as the round of 16 games kicked off within the weekend, shaping up the best eight teams who will be competing in the quarterfinals. The slot for the last eight has already been filled, with four teams securing their spots.
Angola, Nigeria, Guinea, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are the four first teams to earn a spot in the quarterfinals. Angola demolished Namibia by three-nil in what was a one-sided affair.
Nigeria, in their game against Cameroon, separated the men from the boys with a two-nil victory. Guinea also defeated Equatorial Guinea in the dying embers to secure a one-nil victory. DR Congo climaxed the last game of the weekend as they sent Egypt packing on penalty shootouts.
The first knockout round gave a glimpse of the teams to watch in the second round of the knockout games, as the tournament gets intense with some teams playing with dedication and determination. Possible teams tipped to make it to the finals are defending champions Senegal, Nigeria, Morocco, and Cape Verde.
Côte d’Ivoire, on Monday, January 29, 2024, will be looking forward to putting their group stage disappointment behind them when they take on Senegal in what could be a decider in their ambition to win the AFCON trophy on home soil.