The thrilling 2023 Africa Cup of Nations group stage has come to a close, and now the knockout stage is set to begin. Despite suffering a shocking defeat to Equatorial Guinea, hosts Ivory Coast have managed to secure a spot in the last-16 as a third-placed team.
Meanwhile, Nigeria secured their place by defeating Guinea-Bissau. Ghana, on the other hand, let slip a two-goal lead and confirmed their exit from the competition with a following day’s madcap win by Cameroon over The Gambia.
Egypt has made it through despite drawing all three of their games 2-2. Unfortunately, Algeria and Tunisia have crashed out after finishing at the bottom of their respective groups.
However, defending champions Senegal and pre-tournament favorites Morocco have successfully advanced. The top two teams from each group, along with the top four third-placed teams, will compete in the knockout stage starting this weekend.
This year’s AFCON was delayed from last summer due to concerns about the monsoon season in West Africa.
Here is the schedule for the AFCON Round of 16 matches:
Saturday, January 27:
1. Angola vs Namibia at Stade de la Paix, Bouake, 5pm
2. Nigeria vs Cameroon at Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, 8pm
Sunday, January 28:
3. Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea at Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan, 5pm
4. Egypt vs DR Congo at Laurent Pokou Stadium, San Pedro, 8pm
Monday, January 29:
5. Cape Verde vs Mauritania at Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, 5pm
6. Senegal vs Ivory Coast at Charles Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro, 8pm
Tuesday, January 30:
7. Mali vs Burkina Faso at Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo, 5pm
8. Morocco vs South Africa at Laurent Pokou Stadium, San Pedro, 8pm
Nigeria vs Cameroon Fixtures
The Nigeria vs Cameroon match in the last-16 of the Africa Cup of Nations is set to be an exciting encounter between two giants of the continent.
Nigeria had a successful group stage with wins over Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau, while Cameroon had a dramatic late victory over Gambia to secure their spot in the knockout stage.
However, Cameroon’s camp has been plagued by rumors and uninspiring performances, making them the underdogs in this match.Both teams will be looking to avenge their past disappointments in the tournament.
The match is scheduled for Saturday, January 27, 2024, at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan.
Nigeria’s team news includes injury concerns for Alhassan Yusuf and William Troost-Ekong, but both have been seen training.
Cameroon’s focus has been on Andre Onana’s situation, with reports of a dispute with Samuel Eto’o after being dropped for the previous game. Veteran striker Vincent Aboubakar may also make his return.
Despite Nigeria’s strong performance in the group stage, they have struggled in crucial moments recently.
Angola vs Namibia Fixtures.
Angola and Namibia are preparing to face off in their first-ever knockout game at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Angola secured their spot as group winners with an unbeaten group stage, giving them confidence to make a deep run in the tournament.
However, the winner of this match will face tough competition in the quarter-finals against either Cameroon or Nigeria. Namibia, led by Collin Benjamin, caused a surprise by defeating Tunisia in their first AFCON match.
Although they failed to score against South Africa and Mali, they impressed with their attacking style. The match is set to take place on Saturday, January 27, 2024, at Stade de la Paix in Bouake, with a kick-off time of 5pm GMT.
In terms of team news, Fredy and Bruno Paz suffered knocks in Angola’s last game, while Namibia made changes after a heavy defeat to South Africa and will be hoping for a recall for Ryan Nyambe and Petrus Shitembi.
With Angola’s strong attacking power, they are predicted to win the match 3-1, taking advantage of Namibia’s vulnerable defense.