Quarter Finals : No Room For Errors

The pool phase of the 6th African Nations Championship has rounded-off in four of the hosting stadia with varied fortunes. While 48 matches were played and 46 goals scored, most of the favorite teams have confirmed their supremacy by grabbing their knock-out round tickets during the last playing day of the group stage.
The competition that began like a steaming engine with a lot of goal drought, has entered high gear especially on the last day of play where there was a lot of suspense in all the four groups. In group A where host country Cameroon clashed against Zimbabwe during the opener, then Mali in their second outing and Burkina Faso on the last day, the different actors exhibited a lot of ambition but were technically wanting in nearly all the compartments. Reasons why the most prolific attack in the group was that of Mali with 3 goals scored and 1 conceded, while the most porous defense was that of Zimbabwe with 5 goals. Though Mali and Cameroon are into round two, they need to sharpen their skills when it comes to finishing.
The same scenario in group B where the Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo-Brazzaville got their round two tickets after facing very difficult opposition from Niger and Libya. Though DR Congo was handicapped after their first encounter because of Covid-19, the boys of Florent Ibenge who also tested positive fought hard and emerged champion in group B thanks to their enormous experience in the competition where they have lifted the trophy twice. Separated by a big river, Congo-Brazza emulated her neighbor’s prowess to grab her ticket. Niger despite her determination was not strong enough, while Libya that has been handicapped by many years of ...