Posts

AFCON 2024 round of 16 fixtures date, time and venue

The group stage is done and dusted, and from Saturday, January 27 until Tuesday, January 30, the 16 remaining teams will duke it out to reach the quarter-finals as they tussle to be crowned kings of the continent. Reigning champions Senegal led the way by winning three games from three in the group stage but some of their fancied rivals have struggled to replicate the same level of success, with the likes of Egypt, Cameroon (and hosts Ivory Coast) qualifying for the knockout rounds by the skin of their teeth. Meanwhile, for as much as Equatorial Guinea and Cape Verde have impressed by sauntering to qualification, Ghana and Algeria are among the heavy-hitters that have already returned home with their tails between their legs. Here, The Athletic runs through the last-16 showdowns on the horizon. Who faces who, where are the games and when will the first knockout matches of AFCON 2023 take place. Saturday, January 27 Angola v Namibia Venue : Stade de la Paix, Bouake Kick-off : 17:00 GMT
Post a Comment
Read more

We wanted to finish as group leaders - Amrabat

Moroccan midfielder, Sofyan Amrabat has said they prioritized finishing as group leaders after defeating Zambia in the last round game of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d'Ivoire 2023. The midfielder who was key in the win over Zambia won the TotalEnergies Man of the Match.  Speaking after the game, Amrabat indicated being top of their group was one of their target and he is proud they ended up achieving it.  "We wanted this first place. We are proud to have done it. It was a difficult match but we did the essentials. There is always room to improve before our next match", declared the midfielder ground. Walid Regragui’s was not part of the team after receiving a ban from CAF ahead of the game.  Despite not hearing the news early, they delivered as expected of them.  "We heard the news today. It was surprising. We missed him but we made do with the situation. We hope to have him for the next match," he added. Morocco will face South Africa in th
Post a Comment
Read more

TotalEnergies CAF AFCON enters knockout rounds with mouthwatering fixtures

The group stage of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d'Ivoire 2023, concluded on Wednesday night, setting up some highly anticipated knock-out stage clashes. The group stage produced everything expected of the grit the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON is made of; stellar shocks, goals, records, history and passionate fans turning up at match venues. In the marquee match of the round, defending champions Senegal will take on tournament hosts Cote d'Ivoire. The Elehpants suffered a shock 4-0 thrashing by Equatorial Guinea in their final group game but still advanced. They now face the daunting task of overcoming an in-form Senegalese side yet to drop points. Two more African heavyweights will collide when Nigeria meets Cameroon. Both teams had uneven group stages but remain continental powerhouses. Elsewhere, Morocco topped their group without conceding and will look to continue their fine form against South Africa. After surprisingly winning Group A undefeated, underdogs E
Post a Comment
Read more

Lamine Camara: “Sadio Mane and the others helped me stand out”

Senegal young sensation, Lamine Camara has credited his senior teammates for his standout TotalEnergies Man of the Match performance in the team’s TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 opening match against The Gambia.  Camara’s brace and his overall performance earned him the individual accolade which he says will motivate him to work even harder and it must also be credited to his teammates. “I am happy with this recognition. This is the result of the hard work that we all did. Winning the first match remains a good thing” said the Metz FC player who recently joined the French club. The 20-year-old star continued to say: “I am pleased after scoring a brace in the match, and I must remain focused now on the rest of the matches. I am pleased to participate in such a tournament with the first team and to be in the company of senior players such as Sadio Mane and others. These players are the ones who helped me stand out today”, concluded Camara.  Up next for Senegal
Post a Comment
Read more

PREVIEW: Burkina Faso v Mauritania

Image
The Stallions of Burkina Faso will play their opening game in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d'Ivoire 2023 against Mauritania at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake. Burkina are touted as favorites for the clash in Group D as they face Al-Murabitun’s team, who are still chasing their first win in the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON after failing in their previous two attempts. Hubert Velud will finally be making his long awaited TotalEnergies CAF AFCON debut. Amir Abdou on the other hand will be hoping to replicate what he did with Comoros in the 2021 edition by qualifying them to the knockout stage in a group with Morocco and Ghana. One key battle that will be decisive in this game will be Dango Ouattara coming up against defender, Aly Abeid. Dango scored 4 goals in the qualifiers of the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Côte d'lvoire 2023 and was the country’s top scorer. He will have Aly Abeid, who was part of Mauritania’s previous two TotalEnergies CAF AFCON finals to deal with
Post a Comment
Read more

“Together we are stronger” - the story of the Ayew brothers

Image
For thirteen years, the Ayew brothers have been alongside each other in the national team and will be participating in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d'Ivoire 2023.  They are the pride of their family, the Ayews, heirs to their father Abedi Pelé, winner of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, the last one that the Black Stars won, in 1982.  For the sixth time in their career, André and Jordan Ayew will together defend the colors of the the black star; Ghana. Arriving with great fanfare in Abidjan, the city where they will play their first matches of the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Côte d'lvoire 2023, the Ghanaians are settling in quietly. André Ayew, the captain of the team, was the first to finish his lunch, he greeted us then made a call to his brother, to let him know that the Cafonline.com team is ready to interview them. Jordan immediately arrived in the hall, with a wide smile.  The two have a special admiration for the tournament.  “We have to play it to understa
Post a Comment
Read more

Algeria touch down in Bouaké, Belmadi eager to start

Image
Algeria touched down in Bouake on Wednesday with coach Djamel Belmadi eager for his team to start their participation in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023.  Riyad Mahrez led a contingent of players and technical staff that arrived at the Aeroport De Bouaké, at 12:15pm local time with the Saudi Arabia-based captain revealing that the Desert Foxes had good preparations for the competition. The squad were met on arrival by an artistic display of local culture - music, drumming, and dancing by an ensemble and a number of Algerians in Bouake were also on hand to welcome their national heroes.  The two-time winners looked elegant in their apparel as they were led by former Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez, who will be a key figure for the former champions.  Speaking to CAFOnline.com upon their arrival, coach Belmadi said the team was raring to go and they could not wait to get their campaign started. . "We are happy to be here and we are in a hurry to start
Post a Comment
Read more