The AFCON 2023 drew to a close on Sunday February 11 with Côte d'Ivoire's 2-1 victory over Nigeria. It's time to take stock of this 34th edition, rich in lessons, spectacle, surprises and twists and turns.
Côte d'Ivoire, a third star
By overcoming Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire won their 3rd Africa Cup of Nations after 1992 and 2015. The Elephants are now the 4th most successful nation in the history of the competition, on a par with Sunday's victims Nigeria.Ghana (4 titles) and Cameroon (5) are within striking distance. On the other hand, Egypt, with 7 titles to its name, is still a long way off.
However, a first took place at the Stade Alassane Ouattara on February 11. Prior to this date, Côte d'Ivoire had contested 4 AFCON finals, all of which ended in penalty shoot-outs after goalless draws. It was therefore the first time the Ivorians had contested a final with goals.
Winning goal? Just give Sébastien Haller a call! 😝#TotalEnergiesAFCON2023Final | @HallerSeb | @FIFCI_tweet pic.twitter.com/i49si2UrHY
— CAF (@CAF_Online) February 12, 2024
Nigeria, king of loss, the AFCON of all records
Defeated by Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria equalled a sad record. This is the 5th time the Super Eagles have lost a final, after 1984, 1988, 1990 and 2000. Only Ghana has lost as many finals.
A more cheerful statistic is the number of goals. There were 118. This is quite simply the most prolific AFCON in history, ahead of the 2019 edition and its 102 goals.Equatorial Guinea, Senegal and Cape Verde (9 goals) were the competition's top attackers, while Emilio Nsue was the top scorer with 4 goals.There were 22 penalties awarded and 17 converted, 163 yellow cards and 13 red cards.
Locals get the better of the white wizards
Emerse Faé, former Côte d'Ivoire international, won this AFCON 2023. The 2022 edition was won by Aliou Cissé and Senegal, while Djamel Belmadi led Algeria to the title in 2019. This is the third edition in a row to be won by a local coach. The end of the white wizards' supremacy?
Unexpected teams, big names get the short end of the stick
After Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria, the AFCON 2023 podium is completed by South Africa.Bafana Bafana were playing in their first semi-final for 24 years.DR Congo finished fourth. Angola and Cape Verde reached the quarter-finals. Equatorial Guinea, Namibia and Mauritania reached the last eight. What all these teams have in common is that they were not expected to take part in this competition, proving that there is a levelling up of the playing field in the microcosm of African soccer.
For Senegal and Morocco, on the other hand, the opposite is true. The two giants were expected to take the top spots. However, they both failed to progress beyond the Round of 16 against Côte d'Ivoire and South Africa respectively. Egypt and Cameroon also left Côte d'Ivoire at the same stage, defeated by the DRC and Nigeria. But it gets worse.Algeria, Ghana and Tunisia were eliminated in the first round.Quite a setback for these big names.
Individuals with different performances
Victor Osimhen, the Nigerian striker, even with 1 goal, has statistics that do not reflect his majestic tournament. He carried the Nigerian national team on his shoulders, setting the pace in matches and sparking action. He created a number of penalties. Many saw him as the probable best player of the tournament. What's more, he showed a face that many didn't know he had: that of a player who gives his all both defensively and offensively. His team-mate William Troost-Ekong, best player of the tournament, also shone.
Franck Kessié, the Ivorian midfielder, was expected to be one of the stars of the AFCON. He disappointed in the group phase, as did Côte d'Ivoire overall.But the Faé shock worked. The player has undergone a metamorphosis and is now one of the players who symbolize the Ivorian success story that began in the group stages. He scored 2 goals, the equaliser against Senegal and the winner in the final against Nigeria.
Chancel Mbemba was the leader of the valiant DR Congo, solid in defense, transmitting his rage to his teammates. Sébastien Haller was also one of the architects of Côte d'Ivoire's victory, first with his goal in the semi-final and then with his liberating strike in the final. His return from injury at the start of the AFCON was decisive. Nsue confirmed that he is a player who shines in AFCON. He scored 5 goals to finish as the competition's top scorer, despite his team's elimination in the Round of 8.
Leaders in mixed tournaments
The Moroccan pairing of Amrabat and Ounahi is a case in point. These 2 key players performed well in the group phase, helping Morocco to 1st place. In the Round of 8, however, they were outclassed by the South African midfield in a 2-0 defeat. Sadio Mané and Kalidou Koulibaly, two players who seem to have suffered from their early season at club level, have, like the Ounahi-Amrabat duo, had 3 interesting first games in terms of content. But in the Round of 8, their experience didn't come into play in the match against Côte d'Ivoire, with Koulibaly guilty of a number of errors, and Sadio Mané a man of the match against Côte d'Ivoire. He also had less control over the Senegalese game and less impact, which he made up for with good positioning and well-placed passes at key moments. Except against Côte d'Ivoire
The expected leaders who disappointed
In 1st place is Ryad Mahrez with Algeria, who had an unremarkable AFCON. He even finished the tournament on the bench. Mohamed Salah was also expected to lead Egypt to the top. Unfortunately, the player saw his tournament come to a premature end after 2 matches. In his absence, Egypt lost in the Round of 8. Youssef Msakni, like Tunisia, lived through the tournament like a ghost.
Young players who confirmed the signs of things to come
There's Oumar Diakité and above all Simon Adingra, who was Côte d'Ivoire's attacking leader.His performance in the final, with 2 assists, was a major factor in the upturn in fortunes. He was also voted man of the match. Côte d'Ivoire missed his percussion in the group phase.
And then there's the young Senegalese Lamine Camara, who dazzled the soccer world with the content of his games and his audacity. He has revealed himself to African soccer. In Mali, there's Nene Dorgeles and the excellent Kamory Doumbouya, among others, who have played some top-class tournaments. In the Angolan team, winger Gilberto's dazzling dribbling skills were a highlight of the AFCON. Calvin Bassey, at the heart of the Nigerian defense, had a monstrous tournament, being intractable for his opponents.
The pleasant surprises
It's hard not to mention Angolan striker Mabululu, who scored 3 goals and counting. The player showed great rage and determination on the pitch. He has made a name for himself in African soccer. Then there's Gelson Dala, who scored 4 goals for Angola.Yoane Wissa's impact on the game and his goals (2), Elia Meschak and Silas Katompas, with their percussion, also stood out in the Congolese campaign. Then there's the South African collective to highlight, with. Mvala was very good in the middle, while Ronwen Williams was decisive in goal. In fact, he was named best goalkeeper. Finally, the metronome Teboho Mokoena is without doubt one of the best players of this edition. On the Nigerian side, the big surprise was goalkeeper Nwabali. He handled the Nigerian goals well, and was one of the strongest links in the group. Ola Aina, the Nigerian full-back, also had an outstanding tournament.
AFCON constants
The smaller teams certainly made progress, but they didn't make it past the quarter-finals.Angola reached the quarter-finals, while Equatorial Guinea, Namibia and Mauritania made it to the last eight.
Guinea (who won a knockout match for the first time in their history) and above all Mali, despite still being good teams with good players, were naively and prematurely eliminated. Mali's quarter-final defeat by Côte d'Ivoire is hard to explain.
Ghanaian soccer is in freefall, having been eliminated in the group stages for the last 2 editions.
