Tunisia coach, Jalel Kadri, announced he was stepping down after his side’s disappointing group exit from the Africa Cup of Nations.

He joins the coaches of hosts, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Algeria to leave their posts on Wednesday.

Kadri announced his decision in the aftermath of the Carthage Eagles’ goalless draw with South Africa, which confirmed the end of their AFCON participation.

“My decision is definite. My contract fixed as an objective the semi-finals and because we haven’t made that the contract is over,” he said in a post-match interview on television.

Tunisia leave the Ivory Coast without a single win to their name to leave them last in Group E – a far cry from 13 months ago when they toppled France 1-0 at the World Cup in Qatar.

Tunisia’s 100th goal in the competition, scored by Hamza Rafia in the 1-1 draw with Mali, was their only goal of this AFCON.

Africa Cup of Nations last-16 pairings in the Ivory Coast (all times GMT):

Saturday
In Bouake
Angola v Namibia (1700)
In Abidjan
Nigeria v Cameroon (2000)

Sunday
In Abidjan
Equatorial Guinea v Guinea (1700)
In San Pedro
Egypt v Democratic Republic of Congo (2000)

Monday
In Abidjan
Cape Verde v Mauritania (1700)
In Yamoussoukro
Senegal v Ivory Coast (2000)

Tuesday
In Korhogo
Mali v Burkina Faso (1700)
In San Pedro
Morocco v South Africa (2000)

Super Eagles’ failure to convert created chances in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations is a big worry for Coach Jose Peseiro.

In the team’s three games at the competition, they have scored only one on open play, with the other two coming from a penalty kick and an own goal.

Against Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria created enough goals to have won the game by a wide margin, but they scored only one through Victor Osimhen to settle for a 1-1 draw. The same story was the case in the games against Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea Bissau, which ended 1-0 each in Nigeria’s favour.

Speaking after the victory over Guinea Bissau, Peseiro told the media that the technical crew would address the goal scoring issue, saying the important thing is for the Eagles to continue winning.

Osimhen, who scored over 26 goals as Napoli won their first Italian title in 33 years last season, has fail to convert routine chances. But the coach is satisfied with his star striker’s over all output, saying that the goals would come in due course.

He said: “Today, we played very good football, but we missed scoring chances which is not good for us. Our striker, Victor Osimhen, was not at his best but I’m happy we are through to the next stage.”

Peseiro described the match against Guinea Bissau as a tough game, saying, “we created four opportunities, but we couldn’t convert them. But I’m still happy we progressed to the next stage.

“I believe we kept our goals for the next round; we will work on our finishing ahead of our next match.

“For the next match, if you score goals you proceed to the next round.”
Super Eagles’ defender, Calvin Bassey, had a hilarious answer to the question on the team’s failure to score goals.

He simply said: “Go and ask the midfielders and attackers because, me, I am defending. I try my own. Of course, we are working on it. You seem to have all the answers, I think we’ve done well defensively.

“When it’s 1-0 and you get to last stages of the game, teams are going to have chances, but I think we defended well and strong.”

The Super Eagles defence is among the best at the championship having conceded only one goal so far. But their resilience would be severely tested in the second round, where they may meet any of Senegal, Cameroon, or Guinea for a quarterfinal ticket.

The Africa Cup of Nations is now approaching the fast lane with zero tolerance for failure. With the contestants pruned to 16 when the next stage begins on Saturday, which ever team that fails heads straight to the border controllers and depart Cote d’Ivoire.

There is also no room for drawn games. Therefore what will going through the minds of the remaining 16 managers are a myriad of thoughts.

They have to think first about their respective teams. There will be thought on selection of the starting 11. Thoughts on their opponents, the tactics and fitness level. Even the weather is being scrutinised by men chosen to mastermind their country’s success.

But if previous Africa  Cup of Nations finals are any guide, there is one training practice, which will be just as decisive. It is how to strike the ball from 12 yards. Since Didier Drogba lost a vital kick during the penalty shoot-out against Egypt in the final game of the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, several other celebrated players have equally failed to convert penalty kicks.

Inability to strike well from the penalty spot caused Nigeria the title in Lagos 24 years ago.

It is a common occurrence even at the summit of world football. Great players, namely, Zico (1986), Maradona (1990), Roberto Baggio (1994) and Lionel Messi (2022) have fumbled at what appears the cheapest goal to be scored in football.

When Messi missed a penalty kick in a Qatar 2022 World Cup match of Argentina versus Poland, his tally got to four in his international career and a combined tally of 31 for club and country.

Austin Jay Jay Okocha (c) and Tijani Babangida try to console Nwankwo Kanu whose penalty kick loss put Cameroon at advantage to deny Nigeria the Africa Cup of Nations in 2000.

Penalties have become part and parcel of many tournaments that I have attended.

In 1990, my first World Cup attendance, both semi final matches were decided on spot kicks, while the final match itself was prevented from ending up the same way. Ironically, it was still decided by a penalty kick, five minutes from regulation time.

What was avoided in the 1990 final had to come four years later. Brazil out shot Italy to claim the World Cup title for a fourth time.

At France’98, the hosts had to depend on penalty shootout to get off from an hectic quarter final duel with Italy, before eventually winning the trophy on home soil with their ‘multi- national’ squad. The 2006 World Cup final was decided by penalty shoot-out.

From the on-going, it is clear that teams must have learnt to include penalty kick taking in their training schedule as the Afcon 2023 gets to the knock-out stage. Four of the last eight final matches of the Africa Cup of Nations were decided on penalties.

Penalty kicks have played crucial roles in shaping the champions in 14 of the last 21 championships since Libya’82 that was the first to be decided by penalty shoot-out. Big names in the continent – Nwankwo Kanu, Victor Ikpeba, Samuel Eto’o, and Didier Drogba among others – have missed from the penalty spots.

In Nigeria’s march to victory in 1994, penalty kicks played crucial roles. The Super Eagles had to survive the ordeal of penalty shoot-out with Cote d’Ivoire in the semi finals. It is on record that penalty kicks played crucial roles in shaping Nigeria’s destiny in 2010, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1994, 1988 and 1984. A total of eight in Nigeria’s last 14 appearances at the finals.

In 1984, Nigeria survived a lengthy penalty shoot-out against Egypt in the semi final, after scoring a goal from the penalty spot during regulation time. In 1988, it was the same tale, this time against Algeria in the semi finals. A penalty kick award to Cameroon eventually decided Nigeria’s fate in the Maroc’88 final.

Apart from 2000 in Lagos when Cameroon lifted the trophy through a penalty shoot –out, loss of a penalty in the extra time against Senegal decided the Super Eagles fate in the 2002 semi finals.

Nigeria again crashed out of 2004 finals via penalty shoot out!

Penalty kicks also proved decisive for other African teams in the Africa Cup of  Nations. Cameroon, Tunisia and Cote d’Ivoire lost vital matches via penalty shoot-out at 2006 Africa Cup of Nation Cup.

The keepers who saved the kicks were the heroes, while the outfield players whose kicks missed the targets were the villains. It is obvious that those dramas will once more unfold as Cote d’Ivoire 2023 gets to the knock-out stage.

But who will be jumping and which player will bent double in tears? Italy’s Antonio Cabrini wrote his name into the World Cup record books as the first player to miss a penalty in the final. He looked dejected after his 25^th minute spot kick went wide.

Penalty kicks, especially the shoot-outs, are made for television. They are fast, exciting while being a fairer means of tie-breaking than the toss of a coin. But the Italians will not like to believe this after the Azzuris lost the USA’94 World Cup final through penalty shoot-out and had gone out through the same process at home in the Italia’90 World Cup semi final.

They again crashed out of France’98 through penalty kicks. But for the extra time goal with which the Koreans defeated them in 2002 in the Round of 16, one will have to go back 20 years (Mexico’86) to get the last time the Italians lost a knock-out match in the World Cup without resorting to penalties.

Their prayers were answered at Germany 2006 when they beat France in the final via penalty shoot-out. It is only ones prayer that Jose Peseiro add penalty kick session to the training of the Super Eagles.

Litany of penalty kicks at the Africa Cup of  Nations 

• 1982– Penalty shoot-out decided the final match of Ghana and Libya.
• 1984– Penalty shoot-out took Nigeria to the final.
• 1986– Penalty shoot-out decided the final match of Egypt and Cameroon.
• 1988– Penalty shoot-out propelled Nigeria to the final. Penalty for Cameroon decided Nigeria’s fate in the final.
• 1992– Penalty shoot-out decided the final match of Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.
• 1994 – Penalty shoot-out played crucial role in Nigeria’s march to the final, beating Cote d’Ivoire 4-2 at the semi-finals.
• 2000– Penalty shoot-out decided Nigeria’s fate and the final match with Cameroon.
• 2002 – Penalty loss against Senegal in the semi-finals decided Nigeria’s fate. Final match of Cameroon and Senegal decided by penalties.
• 2004– Penalty shoot-out decided Nigeria’s fate in the semi finals as Tunisia had a 5-3
• 2006 – Nigeria involved in penalty shoot-out in the quarter finals. Final match of Egypt and Cote d’Ivoire also decided on penalties.
• 2010 – Nigeria profited from penalty shoot-out, beating Zambia 5-4 in the quarter finals.
• 2012 – Quarter-finals match of Gabon and Mali was decided by penalties. The final match of Zambia and Cote d’Ivoire was also decided by penalties.
• 2013– Quarter finals duel of South Africa and Mali as well as the semi-finals of Burkina Faso and Ghana were decided by penalty shoot-out.
• 2015– The third place duel of DR Congo and Equatorial Guinea and the final match of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana were decided by penalties.
• 2017 – Quarter final match of Senegal and Cameroon and the semi finals of Burkina Faso and Egypt were penalty kicks decided.
• 2019– Three Round of 16 matches (Morocco v Benin, Madagascar v DR Congo and Ghana v Tunisia) as well as the quarter-final of Cote d’Ivoire and Algeria were decided by penalty shoot-out.
• 2021 – Again, three Round of 16 matches were decided by penalty shoot-out (Burkina Faso v Gabon, Cote d’Ivoire v Egypt and Mali v Equatorial Guinea) as well as the semi-final match of Egypt and Cameroon and the final match of Senegal and Egypt were decided by penalty shoot-out.

Angola officially checked themselves into the Round of 16 of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Burkina Faso on Tuesday in a Group D match played at Yamoussoukro’s Charles Konan Banny Stadium. 

A goal in each half by Cristovao “Mabululu” Paciencia and Ambrosini “Zini” Salvador on the stroke of full time saw the Antelopes qualify for the Round of 16 of the competition for the first time since 2010 as hosts. 

Both sides got into the clash with the aim of securing all three points to finish as group leaders and therefore enjoy a slightly longer rest period ahead of the round of 16. 

With both sides having a fair amount of chances at goal, it was Angola who capitalized in the 36th minute when the dangerous Mabululu headed home to give his side the lead. 

The goal gave Angola, who went into the game as group leaders the much-needed boost ahead of the recess. 

Coming back from the break, the Stallions surged forward but could not break the stubborn Angolan defense. 

Victory was eventually sealed on the stroke of full time by Zini after a stinging shot that rebounded off the keeper found an alert Zini who slotted home to secure the victory.

Angola, Burkina Faso gain automatic entry into the next phase while Mauritania’s historic win over Algeria sees them record their first ever TotalEnergies CAF AFCON win that sends them into the knockout stage as one of the best third finishers of the groups.

This is what the coaches had to say:

Pedro Gonçalves – Angola coach

“We achieved a historic record, after we were able to win two consecutive matches. I am very happy for these young men. This victory is confirmation that we have passed the group stage. Now we will rest and then we will prepare for the next match. We were smart throughout the match, especially during the important moments. We faced Burkina Faso, which is considered an excellent team. I also dedicate this victory to all my family. I always work, even when I am with my family”

Hubert Velud – Burkina Faso Coach

“We played well in the first half, and we conceded a goal, then we were ineffective in our attack. We then conceded the second goal in the final minutes of the match which killed our morale. We were well focused before the match and motivated to win and take first place in our group. We cannot say that Angola was stronger than us. There was a lack of attacking effectiveness on the part of Burkina Faso in the match.

We finished the first round in second place, in a difficult group, and even the Algerian team did not qualify. “What matters most to us is the 16-final match. There will be another type of match, different from the group stage matches”.

Ghanaian players and fans were left downcast and in tears after the Black Stars suffered a group stage exit at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

This makes it a second consecutive edition of the AFCON that Ghana have suffered a humiliating exit from the competition without making it to the knockout stages, since losing to Tunisia on penalties in the round of 16 at the 2019 edition in Egypt.

In a group that has Cape Verde and Mozambique, the Ghanaians, alongside Egypt, were favourites to qualify from the group but a 2-1 loss to Cape Verde on the opening day plus 2-2 draws to Egypt and Mozambique respectively meant the Black Stars managed only two points out of a possible nine.

In their last two games, the West Africans led 2-0 in both fixtures before their opponents came back to steal points from them.

Ghana goalkeeper, Richard Ofori, and the Ayew brothers Andre and Jordan were singled out by the fans for criticisms, while other fans have consoled Mohammed Kudus, who scored a brace against Egypt.

This exit extends Ghana’s long wait for a fifth AFCON trophy since they last won it in 1982.

And in a viral video, the fans vented their anger on the team by smashing windows of the bus which was conveying the players out of the Alassane Ouattara Stadium.

Former champions of the African Cup of Nations, Algeria, have crashed out of the tournament after losing 1-0 to Mauritania on Tuesday night.Captain Mohamed Dellash Yaly scored after 37 minutes for the underdogs, who will fill one of four places reserved for third-placed finishers in the group stage

Another big team has fallen to a smaller one as Mauritania got their first ever win of an Africa Cup of Nations match by beating two-time champions Algeria 1-0 at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake on Tuesday night.

And so, a chain of shocks is persisting for a second day running following the feat by Equatorial Guinea over Cote d’Ivoire and the dramatic ouster of four-time champions, Ghana by Mozambique. Ghana led 2-0 up to the 89th minute before a dramatic twist of fate and the game in the next three minutes became a 2-2 draw.

For Algeria, champions at the 2019 edition, their woes continue as they are yet to win a single match since winning the cup in Cairo five years ago.

Mauritania’s Mohamed Dellah Yaly scored his team’s winning goal in the 37th minute of the match.

Meanwhile, Angola defeated Burkina Faso 2-0 after scoring their winning goals in the 36th minute through Mabululu, and during added time through Zini.

Chris Hughton has been sacked as the Head Coach of the Black Stars of Ghana after the group stage elimination at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), ongoing in Cote d’Ivoire.

The Black Stars failed to win a single game at the tournament and so were eliminated in the group stage for a second straight AFCON edition.

A statement by the Ghana Football Association anouncing the decision reads: “Chris Hughton relieved of duties as Ghana coach

” The Ghana Football Association wishes to announce that Chris Hughton has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the senior National team with immediate effect.

“The Executive Council has also taken a decision to dissolve the technical team of the Black Stars.

“The Ghana Football Association will in the coming days provide a roadmap on the future direction of the Black Stars.”

The Super Eagles of Nigeria are set to face the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in the Round of 16 of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The fixture was confirmed after Cameroon secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Gambia, finishing second in Group C behind Senegal.Nigeria reached the knockout stage after defeating Guinea-Bissau 1-0, finishing second in Group A behind Equatorial Guinea.The clash between Nigeria and Cameroon promises to be an intense encounter, given the historical rivalry between the two football powerhouses in Africa.Both teams will aim to advance to the quarterfinals and move a step closer to clinching the prestigious AFCON title. Football fans can anticipate an exciting and closely contested match as the knockout stage action unfolds in the 34th edition of Africa’s Premier football tournament.The Nigeria Vs Cameroon 2023 AFCON round of 16 clash will take place on Saturday, January 27, 2024 by 9pm.