The African Cup Of Nations (AFCON) has just been concluded and it was full of surprises. The odds on favourites were swiftly eliminated early on while there were shocks. South Africa made an unlikely run into the 3rd place play-off. The usual heavy hitters headed for the exit door very early on.
The tournament was held in Ivory Coast and was supposed to take place in the Northern Hemisphere's summer of 2023 in order to align with the European competitions but the weather conditions during that time in Ivory Coast caused a postponement. This would be the second time this happened as it also happened in 2021 in Cameroon. However, it was due to the COVID-19 pandemic that caused the postponement.
The group stages pulled no punches. The hosts finished third behind Equatorial Guinea and well known powerhouse Nigeria. One of the main talking points of this stage was Egypt going winless and only drawing their games. Mo Salah, their standout player, got injured and couldn't take part in the Round of 16. Shockingly, Ghana got the boot.
Cameroon got talked about but for the wrong reasons. Their regular 1st choice goalkeeper, Andre Onana, missed the first game and took part in one game in all, conceding 3 against Senegal. He was replaced by his cousin, Fabrice Ondoa. Senegal, unsurprisingly, won all their matches. Algeria finished dead last in their group - exiting with a whimper. Morocco, expectedly, topped their group.
There were a few surprises in store for the Round of 16. This included a Mo Salah-less Egypt losing on penalties to DR Congo (7-8), Senegal also losing on penalties to Ivory Coast (4-5) and South Africa eliminating Morocco 2 - 0. Things could have been different if Achraf Hakimi hadn't missed a penalty in the 85th minute when it was 1 - 0.
There was no real talking points when the quater-finals took place. The one that stood out was Cape Verde vs. South Africa. Although it finished 0 - 0 after extra time, it was Ronwen Williams who was the man of the moment. This was due to him saving 4/5 penalties to help his country go to the semi finals with a 2-1 penalty shootout win.
The fairytale ended for South Africa in their semi-final against Nigeria. It went to penalties when it ended 1 - 1. Ronwen Williams couldn't replicate his quater-final heroics as South Africa lost 4-2 on penalties. The hosts edged out DR Congo 1-0 thanks to a Sebastian Haller goal.
South Africa claimed 3rd place over DR Congo with a 6-5 penalty shootout win. It ended 0-0 before that. Ivory Coast came from behind to beat Nigeria 2 -1. It was made even more special considering that the winning goal was scored by Haller. For those who don't know, he overcame testicular cancer. It was Ivory Coast's 3rd AFCON title win.
Overall, I didn't see anything that happened, happen. I expected the normal powerhouses to dominate the tournament and battle it out among each other to see who was the best in Africa. Nonetheless, I am happy with how the tournament played out. I am even more happy and proud of Bafana Bafana and how the performed and the distance that they had reached.
Well done, Cote d'Ivoire!