The Africa Cup of Nations is now at the quarterfinal stage after exciting games in the round of 16. Nigeria, Angola, DR Congo, Guinea, Cabo Verde, Ivory Coast, Mali, and South Africa are all through to the last eight. However, the big shocker is the elimination of the big shots in the competition. FIFA’s highest-ranked countries have been eliminated from AFCON 2023. They include Morocco (ranked 13th), Senegal (ranked 20), Tunisia (ranked 28), Algeria (Ranked 30), and Egypt (ranked 33).
Morocco Eliminated
Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi missed a late penalty, contributing to Morocco’s elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations. They suffered a 2-0 defeat to South Africa. Achraf Hakimi’s late missed penalty proved crucial as highly-ranked Morocco joined the list of surprising exits from the competition. South Africa handed them a surprising 2-0 defeat advancing from the round of 16. Hence booking a spot in the quarter-finals.
South Africa’s Evidence Makgopa secured the lead just before the hour mark in San Pedro, Côte d’Ivoire. However, Morocco had a chance to level the score in the final five minutes with a penalty kick.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Hakimi failed to capitalize on the opportunity, hitting the top of the bar and sending the ball over. Morocco’s woes deepened as Sofyan Amrabat received a red card in stoppage time, and Teboho Mokoena scored South Africa’s second from the subsequent free-kick.
Morocco, who reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2022, now joins the growing list of prominent African teams ousted from the current Africa Cup of Nations. It comes a day after reigning champions Senegal were eliminated in a penalty shootout by hosts Côte d’Ivoire.
The Biggest Shocker in Africa
As Africa’s highest-ranked team, Morocco aimed to build on their impressive journey to the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar, seeking their second AFCON title, 48 years after their first. However, they, along with Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt, are out of the competition. Consequently, none of the top five ranked African nations, nor any of the four semi-finalists from the previous edition, will advance to the quarter-finals.
A South African team, with eight players from the top club Mamelodi Sundowns in their starting lineup, secured the lead in the 57th minute. Themba Zwane set up Makgopa, a striker from Orlando Pirates, who successfully scored against Morocco’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Senegal among the FIFAS Five Highest-Ranked Countries Eliminated at AFCON 2023
Senegal lost to the hosts Ivory Coast in a match marked by controversial refereeing decisions. Coach Aliou Cisse emphasized that holders Senegal leave the Africa Cup of Nations with dignity intact after elimination on Monday. Senegal surrendered their early lead four minutes from time in the last 16 clash when they conceded a penalty. This resulted in a 1-1 draw and led to extra time and penalties, where the hosts emerged victorious with a 5-4 score.
“It was a peculiar match,” commented Cisse on a game where the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) failed to notice a studs-up tackle from Senegal’s Sadio Mane. This should have led to his dismissal before halftime. Nevertheless, the Gabonese referee did not grant Senegal a penalty in the second half after the tripping of Ismailia Sarr. This missed opportunity could have provided them a significant chance to extend their lead and make it more challenging for the hosts to mount a comeback in the match.
Ivory Coast received a penalty in the closing stages of the game following an extended consultation with VAR.
“There were numerous peculiar incidents in the game, but there’s no need to delve into that,” remarked Cisse, who has served as Senegal’s coach since 2015, leading them to their first-ever Cup of Nations title two years ago and securing qualifications for two World Cups. “My only regret is that after the goal, we may have lost the main momentum of the match a bit. We breached the lines too frequently, despite starting the game well by maintaining control of possession.”
Tunisia’s Elimination
Group E delivered a tough outcome for Tunisia, getting eliminated from CAN 2023 after a goalless draw against South Africa. This less-than-thrilling result secured Bafana Bafana’s spot in the round of 16. It led to the
Despite Tunisia’s early attempts to control the game, they faced a solid South African defence, resulting in a dull first half. Despite having more possession, Jalel Kadri’s team didn’t make a shot for over 40 minutes in the second half. Their only clear chance came late with Haythem Jouini’s header hitting the frame (89th minute).
Exiting the competition with just two points and one goal, it’s a disappointing performance for Tunisia, a team that played in the last World Cup and had qualified for the knockout phase eight times in its previous ten CAN participations.
The same outcome occurred in the Mali vs. Namibia match, where Namibia secured an unexpected qualification for the final stages as the “best third” with four points.
Both matches lacked sporting intensity, and the shared points worked well for everyone: Mali finished 1st, and Namibia qualified for the round of 16, an impressive achievement.
This achievement could make history if Namibia beats Angola on January 27.
Algeria’s Elimination among the FIFA’s Five Highest-Ranked Countries Eliminated at AFCON 2023
On Tuesday, January 23, former champions Algeria exited the Africa Cup of Nations in the group stage after a surprising defeat to Mauritania. In contrast, Cameroon secured a place in the last-16 with a thrilling victory over Gambia.
Algeria clinched their second AFCON title in Egypt in 2019 and faced elimination in the group stage. It was the second consecutive elimination in the tournament. They drew their first two Group D matches against Angola and Burkina Faso. The team only needed just a point against Mauritania in Bouake to advance to the knockout phase.
However, Mauritania, winless in eight previous AFCON attempts and losing their opening two matches in Ivory Coast, emerged as 1-0 winners. Captain Mohamed Dellah Yaly, who plays for a club in Iraq, scored the decisive goal in the 37th minute.
Egypt’s Elimination from AFCON 2023
In the round of 16, the Democratic Republic of Congo secured a victory over Egypt. They are seven-time champions, with an 8-7 triumph in the penalty shootout. Meschack Elia netted the opening goal for DR Congo in the 37th minute. The match happened at Stade Laurent Pokou in San Pedro, Ivory Coast. Mostafa Mohamed, a former forward for Galatasaray in Turkey, leveled the match for Egypt. It was during a stoppage-time goal in the first half.
The regular 90 minutes and extra time concluded with a 1-1 score. It led to a penalty shootout to determine the winner. During extra time, Egyptian player Mohamed Hamdy received a red card after a foul. DR Congo emerged victorious in the penalty shootout with an 8-7 score, securing their place in the quarterfinals.
Mohamed scored the equalizer for Egypt in regular time, missing his penalty. Also, DR Congo’s Arthur Masuaku sent the ball over the bar during the shootout. Both teams successfully converted penalties until Egyptian goalkeeper Gabaski missed. It allowed DR Congo goalie Lionel Mpasi-Nzau to seal the win with a successful penalty. The match ended in 8-7 post penalties, as DR Congo advanced to the next round. Egypt, the last AFCON titleholder in 2010, exited the tournament.