With the advancement of eight teams to the quarter-final stage of the TotalEnergies 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Cote d’Ivoire, a round of 16 fixtures were concluded on Tuesday.
The matches played in the round of 16 were close contests, but the best teams made their way to the quarter-finals.
Nigeria had defeated their counterpart the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon 2-0 on Jan. 27.
The Super Eagles will then have a stern test against two-time quarterfinalists, Angola’s Palancas Negras, in the quarter-final on Friday at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan at 6.00 p.m.
DR Congo secured a slim victory against a gritty Egpyt on Jan. 28, winning the game via penalty shootout 8-7 after a dramatic 1-1 draw in regular time; they are now set to battle Guinea.
Guinea ended the race of Equatorial Guinea on Sunday with a shock 1-0 win to face DR Congo in the quarter-final stage.
Other intriguing match-ups include Monday’s encounter which saw a late penalty that sent Cape Verde through 1-0 against Mauritania.
Host Cote d’Ivoire got through to the quarter-finals after an intense penalty shootout (5-4) against defending champions Senegal, after battling out a 1-1-draw in regular time.
Cote d’Ivoire will aim for another upset against Mali.
On Tuesday, in the last round of 16 ties, Mali bundled out opponents Burkina Faso 2-1 to book a place in the quarter-final stage to face host Cote d’ ivoire.
South Africa also beat Atlas Lions of Morocco 2-0, and will now face the blue sharks of Cape Verde in the quarter-final stage.
Following Tuesday night’s last round of 16 tie matches, the stage is now set for several highly anticipated quarter-final clashes.
The quarter-final matches are scheduled to run from Feb. 2 to Feb. 3.
Find the full list and venues below:
Friday: Nigeria vs Angola (Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan by 6.00 p.m.)
DR Congo vs Guinea (Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe) by 9.00 p.m.
Saturday: Mali vs Côte d’Ivoire (Stade de la paix Bouake) by 6.00 p.m.
Cape Verde vs South Africa (Stade Charles Konan Banny de Yamoussoukro) by 9.00 p.m.
NAN
