The 2023 African Nations Cup is filled with surprises as all five African representatives at the 2022 FIFA World Cup have been dumped out of the competition.
The five African countries that flew the African flags at the 2022 FIFA World Cup but could not make.it to the quarter-final of the 2023 AFCON are; Ghana, Cameroon, Senegal Morocco and Tunisia
Following the exit of the favourites, on Tuesday night, the line-up for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals have been confirmed.
Angola were the first to qualify after they thrashed Namibia on Saturday evening. The Palancas Negras will now face the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
A late Ryan Mendes penalty sealed the win for Cape Verde, sending them through to the quarter-finals for the second time in their history.
The surprise of the tournament was the Round 16 match between the hosts, Côte d’Ivoire, and the defending champions, Senegal, as the hosts advanced to the last eight, thanks to Frank Kessie’s penalty that kept them in the game to penalty shoot-outs in the Elephant’s favour.
Another blow in this tournament is Guinea’s dramatic winner in the eighth minute of injury time as they beat 10-man Equatorial Guinea 1-0 on Sunday.
The last-16 tie at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium in Abidjan was heading for extra time when Bayo, of French Ligue 1 side Le Havre, struck right at the death to spark frenzied scenes of celebration among the Guinea team and their large support.
It was a historic moment for the Syli National, who had never previously won a Cup of Nations knockout tie — they were runners-up in 1976, in an era when the final four played a round-robin format to decide the winner of the trophy.
The Pharaohs of Egypt were also victims of one of the upsets of this tournament as DR Congo sent them back home after a penalty shootout. And Bafana Bafana of South Africa shocked 10-man Morocco to reach the last eight.
Below are the full Quarter-Finals fixtures with venue, date, and time.
Nigeria vs Angola
Date: Friday, February 2, 2024
Venue: Felix Houphouet-Boigny
Time: 6:00pm
DR Congo vs Guinea
Date: Friday, February 2, 2024
Venue: Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara
Time: 9:00 pm
Mali vs Cote d’ivoire
Date: Saturday, February 3, 2024
Venue: Stade de Bouaké
Time: 6:00 pm
Cape Verde vs South Africa
Date: Saturday, February 3, 2024
Venue: Stade Charles Konan Banny de Yamoussoukro
