The CAN is back on the field! The round of 16 began on Saturday with the qualification of Angola and Nigeria who will face each other in the quarter-finals. To follow on Sunday, a tantalizing Guinea “derby”, and a clash between two survivors, Egypt and DR Congo.
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The program of the day
6 p.m.: Equatorial Guinea – Guinea: our live
9 p.m.: Egypt – DR Congo: our live
Read alsoFind the table for the final phase
Today’s poster: Equatorial Guinea – Guinea
Equatorial Guinea faces Guinea on Sunday in its first direct elimination match of CAN 2024. A confrontation between two selections that no one expects to see lift the trophy but which nevertheless have solid arguments and ambition.
Read alsoEquatorial Guinea – Guinea: a “derby” and a duel of ambitious outsiders
The player to watch: Gaël Kakuta
At 32, Gaël Kakuta, winner of the 2021 Marc-Vivien Foé Prize, is part of the DR Congo squad, which faces Egypt on Sunday. Against the Pharaohs, the playmaker will still have the opportunity to showcase his technique, which earned him the nickname “Black Zidane” for so long. An indestructible Leopard who took his first international steps… with the Bleuets.
Find our portrait on the site this Sunday.
What happened yesterday
Four minutes that change everything : Angola is the first to qualify for the quarter-finals of this CAN, at the expense of Namibia (3-0). Reduced to 10 and not necessarily well on board, the Angolans turned the match around: a goal from Dala, a Namibian expulsion and a double from Dala, all in four minutes flat!
Osimhen and Nigeria tame Cameroon : the Super Eagles took off against the Indomitable Lions. Nigeria never doubted against Cameroon, helped by Victor Osimhen who lived up to his status as African player of the year. If the Nigerian star did not score, Lookman scored twice to qualify his team.
In short
Two Guineas, two atmospheres : before the match between Equatorial Guinea and Guinea on Sunday, two atmospheres confront each other between the two selections. Guinean players went on strike and did not train on Thursday evening due to an unpaid bonus of 9,200 euros per player. A few days earlier, the Equatoguinean players saw each other promised by their president a million euros to share after their victory against Ivory Coast. His son, the vice-president, for his part, promised 50,000 euros per new goal scored.
Nigeria continues its invincibility against Cameroon : the Indomitable Lions failed to turn the tide of history. Since the final lost at home in 2000, the Super Eagles have always won when they crossed paths with Cameroon in a decisive match of the African Cup of Nations.
The longevity of Sébastien Desabre on the African continent : his name is little known in France, but the DR Congo coach enjoys a certain level of popularity in Africa. This adventurer has managed no less than 13 teams in 12 years… in ten African countries. After bringing Uganda to the round of 16 of CAN 2019, he is now on the Leopards bench… to lead them into the quarterfinals?
The CAN news
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Today’s statement
