The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) group stage has come to an end and the round of 16 stage is set to roll out this weekend.
A handful of exciting games involving some of the continent’s best teams will be played out over the coming days with Nigeria taking on Cameroon and Senegal taking on host nation Cote D’Ivoire.
Ahead of the competition, defending AFCON champions Senegal and 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinalist Morocco were considered the top contenders with Mali tipped as the dark horse contender.
All three have lived up to expectations as all three have qualified to the round of 16 with all three nations conceding just a goal across three group games.
Morocco drew 1-1 with DR Congo while beating Zambia and Tanzania and Senegal beat Guinea 2-0 and The Gambia 3-0 but conceded its 3-1 win over Cameroon.
Nigeria surprisingly joined the elite defensive group by spotting the same record after conceding just a goal (against Equatorial Guinea via 1-1 draw) en route to setting up a round of 16 stage tie against Cameroon.
The Super Eagles beat AFCON host Cote D’Ivoire 1-0 and Guinea-Bissau 1-0.