AFCON 2022 Power Rankings: Nigeria are perfect, hosts Cameroon surprisingly strong, Comoros feisty underdogs

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And then there were 16. AFCON 2021 is now in the knockout stages. It’s do or die, win or go home. You know, all that typical verbiage, now’s the time for it. We had upsets, drama, heartbreak, joy, pain, happiness and full on unseriousness in the group stage.

So as we go into the knockout stage, here’s a power ranking.

1. Nigeria

Three weeks before the tournament started, Nigeria fired Gernot Rohr, lost star striker Victor Osimhen, had Emmanuel Dennis not join with the team, and lost a few other players who pulled out of the squad. Yet here we are. On form, they’re the best team. Led by Moses Simon’s play on the wing, Wilfred Ndidi and Joe Aribo in midfield, and anchored by Kenneth Omeruo and William Troost-Ekong, Nigeria are the only team in AFCON to win all three matches they’ve played so far. Despite their woes before the tournament started, the Super Eagles enter the knockouts as the favorites. Will they win or will they flame out?

2. Cameroon

The hosts are showing out. They’ve won two, and drawn one while led by the tournament’s leading goal scorer, Vincent Aboubakar and midfield dynamo André-Frank Zambo Anguissa. Cameroon look great. Feeding off their home crowd and their newly elected football president Samuel Eto’, Cameroon have the makings of winning another AFCON. They rarely lose in Yaounde and that right there is intimidating for anyone coming to play against the The Indomitable Lions.

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3. Ivory Coast

On paper, this is arguably the strongest side in the whole tournament, right? But Ivory Coast’s defense has looked shaky at times even as they showed against Algeria that they have the firepower to punish teams at will. Next, a matchup against Egypt awaits them. Grab your popcorn.

4. Morocco

Another squad who has a lot of talent on paper, Morocco might not have not reached the heights people expected from them, but they qualified and that’s all that matters. They beat Ghana and Comoros, but would have lost to Gabon had it not been for some timely unserious defending and a sparkling Achraf Hakimi free kick. Can Morocco show the world why people rate them so highly?

5. Mali

They look good! That midfield of theirs, led by Yves Bissouma and Amadou Haidara is a stronghold and they look like a proper team. You shouldn’t be shocked by this display from Mali though, they have won several championships at youth level with a lot of these players and they’re just continuing their success. A deep run should not shock anyone.

6. Equatorial Guinea

One of the pleasant surprises of the tournament, they ended Algeria’s unbeaten run and beat another surprisingly competitive team, Sierra Leone. Going up against Mali is going to be tough. However, Equatorial Guinea have made themselves and their country proud. Beating Algeria gets you high on any power ranking even if they don’t end up going further than this.

7. Senegal

One of the tournament favorites, they were hit hard by COVID just before the tournament began, and while their talented players returned by the end of the group stage, something just looks off with this team. Senegal are a heavily talented team on paper, but they have been quite disappointing in the group stages, scoring only one goal, a Sadio Mane penalty. The thing about football is that things are forgotten quickly when you do well, so can Senegal click and make things work?

8. Egypt

Egypt started the tournament looking really shaky, getting outplayed by Nigeria and being saved by their keeper. The 1-0 score they lost by was very flattering. Egypt squeaked through with only two goals but the most important thing is, they are in the knockout stages. Egypt faces another challenge now in Ivory Coast. In current form, that right there, on paper, seems over before it starts, but this is AFCON. Things happen.

9. Guinea

They are a mixed bag, they have talented players but really haven’t done that much. Naby Keita scored a golazo. Their midfield is talented, and they beat Malawi, tied Senegal and lost to Zimbabwe. A matchup against the Gambia is a very tasty fixture.

10. Gabon

This is the definition of a team. Gabon lost their captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Mario Lemina retired and they are in the knockout stages. They’ve shown heart, beating Comoros, coming back against Ghana and almost beating Morocco. Gabon faces Burkina Faso and this one is a tossup, making it an exciting fixture for those who do not have an allegiance to either side.

11. The Gambia

Always remember “the” before you say Gambia. They are another team who is a great story in AFCON. They’re what makes this tournament special, an exciting that can score bangers. Just ask Tunisia. A match against Guinea is one to keep your eyes on.

12. Burkina Faso

Led by their captain Bertrand Traoré, Burkina Faso has not scored that much in the tournament, averaging a goal per match, but they are in the knockout stage and that is all that matters. They have shown glimpses of the quality they possess, especially in their first match against Cameroon, holding their own and even taking an early lead before eventually losing 2-1.

13. Tunisia

The Northern Africans were played off the park by Mali in their first match, but they responded well beating Mauritania 4-0 then before COVID hit. They lost to the Gambia 1-0 and with a bunch of their star players out, it looks very shaky ahead of their match against Nigeria.

14. Cape Verde

A side most are just finding out about, but as someone who saw them against Nigeria, this is not surprising. Led by Garry Rodrigues, Cape Verde has a lot of heart. They drew against Cameroon, but where are the goals coming from? They’ve only scored twice in three matches so far. They face tournament favorites Senegal in the knockout stages, a perfect storm from a neutral perspective.

15. Comoros

Probably the story of the tournament. Their first AFCON, never scored a goal, two tough losses, showing that they can fight but not necessarily that they can win and then boom, three goals against Ghana to send the African giants home in a thrilling 3-2 group stage finale. Comoros’ story is why we watch football, the definition of the beautiful game. They are on the map now, literally, people just finding out where Comoros is and what they are about.

16. Malawi

They started the tournament losing to Guinea but got it together immediately, coming from behind and beating Zimbabwe. They held Senegal to a 0-0 draw. Malawi should be very happy and proud, making it to the knockout stage. They face Morocco next and that is a tough battle for anyone, let alone Malawi.

AFCON 2022 Quarterfinals: Matches, schedule, times, TV for Africa Cup of Nations knockout round

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The quarterfinal slots are slowly being filled at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations with four teams already confirmed to be moving on to the final eight.

The single-elimination Round of 16 matches have already provided an upset with Tunisia knocking off Nigeria. The North African side will face Burkina Faso in the quarters, while The Gambia and host Cameroon moved on to the quarterfinals after one-goal victories. The rest of the field will be determined on Tuesday and Wednesday.

With defending champion Algeria eliminated in the group stage, there will be a new champion. Ghana was also shockingly eliminated from contention in the group stage.

At least one more heavyweight will miss out on the quarterfinal stage: Ivory Coast and Egypt meet up in a Round of 16 clash that will send one of those storied nations crashing out. Ivory Coast has looked one of the best teams in the tournament thus far, and the West African nation will be extra motivated to prove its worth given the early elimination from African qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.

MORE: AFCON 2022 top goalscorers

In addition, Cape Verde will look to continue its Cinderella run, as the tiny nation surprisingly reached the knockout round. Comoros was another underdog story, but it fell to in-form host Cameroon in the Round of 16. Comoros had no available goalkeepers due to a COVID-19 outbreak and it also was forced to play with 10 men due to an early red card as it lost 2-1.

AFCON 2022 Quarterfinals

Below is the remaining knockout bracket for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations from the quarterfinals on.

Quarterfinals

Date Match Time (ET) TV & Stream Jan. 29, 2022 QF1: Gambia vs. Cameroon 11 a.m. TBA Jan. 29, 2022 QF2: Burkina Faso vs. Tunisia 2 p.m. TBA Jan. 30, 2022 QF3: Ivory Coast/Egypt vs. Morocco/Malawi 11 a.m. TBA Jan. 30, 2022 QF4: Senegal/Cape Verde vs. Mali/Eq. Guinea 2 p.m. TBA

Semifinals

Date Match Time (ET) TV & Stream Feb. 2, 2022 Burkina Faso/Tunisia vs. Winner QF4 2 p.m. TBA Feb. 3, 2022 Winner QF3 vs. Winner QF1 2 p.m. TBA

Third Place

Date Match Time (ET) TV & Stream Feb. 6, 2022 Loser SF1 vs. Loser SF2 11 a.m. TBA

Finals

African Cup: Defending champ Algeria out, Comoros advances

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Ivory Coast’s players celebrates after Nicolas Pepe scored a goal during the African Cup of Nations 2022 group E soccer match between Ivory Coast and Algeria at the Japoma Stadium in Douala, Cameroon, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Ivory Coast’s players celebrates after Nicolas Pepe scored a goal during the African Cup of Nations 2022 group E soccer match between Ivory Coast and Algeria at the Japoma Stadium in Douala, Cameroon, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

DOUALA, Cameroon (AP) — Defending champion Algeria was dumped out of the African Cup of Nations in the group stage on Thursday with a 3-1 loss to an Ivory Coast team that was rampant at times and announced itself as a contender for the title in Cameroon.

Ivory Coast’s one-sided victory meant Algeria, which was again one of the favorites this year, exited without a win after two shock results earlier in the tournament left it bottom of Group E.

The drubbing by Ivory Coast made sure it stayed there.

Algeria joined another former champion, Ghana, in leaving early after failing to win a game and finishing bottom of the group. While those two African soccer powers are on their way home, Comoros and Gambia are on their way to the knockout stage of their first major tournament.

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In another surprising result — the upsets are almost a daily occurrence at this totally unpredictable African Cup — Gambia scored in the 93rd minute to beat former champion Tunisia 1-0 in Group F.

Ablie Jallow slammed a shot high into the net from the edge of the area for Gambia.

The upshot after the last day of the group stage is: Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea are through from Group E and Mali, Gambia and Tunisia — which was one of the four best third-place teams — all progressed from Group F.

Algeria had needed to beat Ivory Coast to keep its title defense alive after drawing with Sierra Leone and then finding itself on the wrong end of one of the biggest upsets in African Cup history when it lost to Equatorial Guinea on Sunday. It didn’t come close to turning it around as Ivory Coast surged into a 3-0 lead in Douala through goals by Franck Kessié and Ibrahim Sangaré in the first half, and Nicolas Pépé in the 54th minute.

Kessié turned a volley in for the opener and Sangaré was completely unmarked from a free kick to power a header home. The Algerian defenders stood and looked at each other after the goal.

Pépé’s goal was high quality as he bore down on goal, swerved in between two defenders, and stroked a shot into the left corner.

Riyad Mahrez missed a penalty after 60 minutes to encapsulate Algeria’s miserable tournament. The Manchester City forward sent Ivory Coast keeper Badra Ali Sangaré the wrong way but his spot kick cannoned off the post.

Algeria did pull one back through Sofiane Bendebka’s header but that did nothing to soften the blow of a disastrous tournament for the North Africans.

Ivory Coast set up a last 16 meeting with Egypt next Wednesday in what looks to be the game of the round. Ivory Coast won the African Cup in 2015 in the Yaya Touré era but had been overlooked at this tournament. That changed with a compelling performance against Algeria which could have easily produced more goals.

Equatorial Guinea followed up its stunner over Algeria by beating 10-man Sierra Leone 1-0 in the other Group E game on Thursday to progress behind group winner Ivory Coast. Sierra Leone’s 37-year-old striker Kei Kamara missed a late penalty that would have put his team through as one of the best third-place teams at the expense of Comoros.

Comoros had to wait since Tuesday to see if it would advance but ultimately squeezed through as the lowest-ranked of the third-place teams. The tiny island nation stunned four-time African Cup winner Ghana 3-2 in Group C to claim its first victory in major tournament soccer. For context, Comoros only played its first game as a team in 1979, by which time Ghana had already won three African titles.

Comoros’ reward is a last-16 game against host Cameroon at the showpiece Olembe Stadium in Yaounde on Monday.

Tunisia’s Seifeddine Jaziri had a penalty saved in the loss to Gambia, the third missed spot kick of the day after Mahrez and Kamara. Mali won 2-0 against Mauritania in the other Group F game, when Ibrahima Koné ended that trend and did score from the spot for Mali’s second.

The African Cup has Friday and Saturday off before returning Sunday with the first two games in the round of 16; Burkina Faso vs. Gabon and Nigeria vs. Tunisia. Tunisia’s penalty for losing to Gambia is a meeting with the in-form Nigerians.

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Comoros lose a man via red card just at the 7th minute

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Comoros’ captain Nadjim Abdou was sent off at the 7th minute of Comoros’ match against Cameroon in the AFCON 2021 Round of 16.

Tunisia shock Nigeria, Comoros to use outfield player as goalkeeper

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