African Cup of Nations 2021 (played in 2022) | Final: Senegal v Egypt, 7 PM UK time

[adexkola]

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Cameroon are virtually through; playing a weakened team today. 0-0 for both games today.

 

[WeePat]

Surprised by Algeria's performance so far. I don't see them getting out of the group now

 

[Avatar]

I think clearly we have no manager! But we have the players and they can do a lot better under a better manager. Quiroz is just terrible.

Neither Badry nor Cooper were that good with us. it's been going for years now. We were beyond lucky with AFCON 2017,and it showed in the worldcup months later. I can barely watch our national team. We have no midfield, and it's been going on since at least 2016.

 

[Rasendori]

I'd have to disagree. I don't think we can play our football on that pitch.

Add to the fact that we've been terrible in front of goal I think we're out. Would be very surprised if we do qualify now.

I appreciate that you disagree with what I wrote. I wrote quite a bit, but I see from your response that you disagreed with " still, I'm convinced they will qualify." Given my post was made around around the 50th minute that statement was predicated on the idea that I anticipated Algeria scoring, and therefore winning in the second half. Looking at the time of your post the final whistle had already been blown. That changes the dynamic here as the context in which you voiced your disagreement has Algeria already in the predicament. My comment was they could be in a predicament if things don't change in the second half which was referenced by "another 45 minutes of this".

Now that we're operating in a context in which Algeria have already lost the game, I agree that the odds of survival now don't look great. Ivory Coast will be relishing the prospect of putting the nail in the coffin here as a marker of intent, and I have a bit of sympathy with you here because Ivory Coast have the incentive of finishing as group leaders, this is at stake with a win from either Sierra Leone or Equatorial Guinea putting that at risk.

With that being said, I think you made a great post earlier with regards to it being unlikely that a North African team would win the competition in Western Africa. My preconceived ideas were that these teams will make themselves known in the competition which will be shown in the following spoilers:

Spoiler: Ivory Coast - Last Tuesday (Their first game was the next day)

I think Ivory Coast belong in that category of favourites. They have Sebastian Haller whose in imperious form at the moment with 9 goals and 1 assist in his last 10 outings, so even if you factor he'll be operating in a different system with different teammates, he's at the least full of confidence which could potentially make the difference. Additionally, they have Zaha with this competition being his best chance of silverware, Maxwell Cornet has 6 goals in his last 10 games playing for Burnley which is a respectable return. They have Jeremy Boga. I'm a fervent admirer of his as Roberto De Zerbi's was Sassuolo one of my favourite teams to watch in world football. Whether he'll start I don't know, but he has the acumen to operate in tight spaces, and an elusive dribbling style. There's Kessie whose been a mainstay in Milan's resurgence with only four Milan players accumulating more minutes. Sangare is a name I've seen mentioned in the transfer thread, but I can't comment on him myself. So, I think the abundance of European top-flight experience, and one loss since 2020 makes them favourites along the likes of Algeria. Saying that though, there's only one time I'm excited about but they belong in the category of dark horses.

Spoiler: Nigeria - May 2020

[

Looks like they finally have a decent coach in Rohr after scrambling from one manager to another between 2014 and 2016, and going from reigning AFCON Champions to consecutively failing to qualify for AFCON was quite the falling grace. Etebo had a good tournament at AFCON 2019, playing alongside Ndidi. Now the question is, do Nigeria look to destabilise that.

Interesting take on your assessment of Nigeria's CB's. I think they should give another chance to Ajayi. I'm not sure if he'll make an entrance to the EPL with the covid situation, but he was on course to be promoted with West Brom. Failing that, I'd look to pair Ndidi with Phillip Billing as the latter is insurmountable in the air. This might seem overly defensive, but potentially a robust foil for Aribo.


They also have the option of playing Ejaria alongside Ndidi which would be a more adventurous set up.

Aribo's technical ability against Brazil was impressive. At the end of the game, Thiago Silva tried to get tight to him, so Brazil could make one last attack, but clearly underestimated Aribo's technical ability as he was well beaten by an excellent piece of control, and it would've probably led to him scoring the winner too, but alas Silva had no choice but to made a reckless, last ditch challenge that was never going to get the ball. I was looking forward to the spectacle between Bayer Leverkusen and Rangers. Unfortunately, Aribo was marginalised to the touchline, as opposed to operating from a central position. Its very early days, but his goal return for Nigeria is respectable thus far. He didn't shriek from his defensive responsibilities against Brazil either. Yeah, there seemed to be contrasting information coming up, but Billing has put it to bed in which case they should definitely start Ajayi.

Spoiler: Algeria

Similar to what you quoted from May 2020

Spoiler: Burkina Faso - June 26 2021

In any case, I maintain that I expect Mali to win AFCON 2021. And now I'll add that I think Burkina Faso will be the surprise element . They may not reach the finish line per se, but I can definitely envisage them being difficult to beat. It wouldn't surprise me if Nasser Djiga (Centre Back Burkina Faso heritage) has a fantastic tournament, and earns himself a move elsewhere. He already demonstrated his potential at AFCON U20, and now its his prerogative to see if he can kick on. And I would love it if Martin Loïc Ako Assomo is in the starting berth of for Cameroon, as his playstyle in his MOTM performance against Zimbabwe really caught my attention in CHAN2020.

Spoiler: Finally the country I've mentioned the most Jan 2020-2022

I reckon Mali may surprise people and go on to win the whole tournament.

They were runners up in 2015 during the U17 World Cup losing to Nigeria. 2 years later, they had a goal wrongly disallowed against Spain in the semi-final. In the U20 World Cup, they played no friendlies leading up to the tournament which led to them having a sluggish start, despite that, they were entertaining to watch.
Mali won AFCON at U19 just last year, featuring pretty much the same players that won AFCON U17 twice in a row (2015 and 2017)
In the senior 2019 AFCON, they were for me the most impressive side to watch from an aesthetic standpoint.

Players to look out for in 2021 AFCON:
Diadie Samassékou, Sékou Koïta and Cheick Doucouré.

*Diadie Samassékou:
Very strong showing in the Europa League last season. And was also impressive
in the past AFCON tournament. Made a seamless transition from box to box midielder to the deepest defensive lynchpin. His spacial awareness to disrupt the rhythm of
the opposition is perhaps his greatest quality.


*Cheick Doucoure:
A defensive midfielder both diminitive in stature, and an elusive dribbler. Progressive in his ball distribution and exuberant in movement. I would like to see Magassouba give him a start in an admittedly stacked Mali midfield. At club level, I think a manager similar to Arsene Wenger could really have a galvanising influence on him. A manager with an affinity to technical players who're somewhat obscure. Could potentially reach the heights Alex Song achieved under Wenger, and for a greater longetivity.


*Sékou Koïta:
Dynamic, extremely direct goalscorer. Needs to work on his decision making, but has the versatility to cause problems when running the channels.
Look at the locomotion here :

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Other players that may have an impact, albeit considerably less, I suspect, than the aforementioned three.
Moussa Djenepo
Yves Bissouma
Haidara
Youba Diarra


Adama Traore from Wolves has committed to Mali, and I think he'll cause serious problems.'

In contrast, the Doucoure from Watford is still eligible to represent Mali. He's rejected them in the past, and has publically declared his preference to play for France.
He's played for France at youth level, and given he's yet to play a game at senior level, he may be willing to change his mind. I don't think he will, in all honesty. In any case, midfield is Mali's strong point.

To bring it full circle, I've seen your posts in this thread and I believe you added a lot of value; which teams do you see making an impact in the knockout rounds? Obviously it depends on the match ups, but I still expect Mali to win as dark horses. The safer and more sensible option would be Ivory Coast or Nigeria based on what's actually happened in the group stages, and should Algeria manage to qualify we'll that would be fun.

 

[kouroux]

Sangaré Badra Ali, the Ivory Coast keeper who injured himself on that nasty pitch and as a result released the ball for the Sierra Leone equalizer, lost his father the day after It's been a couple of horrible days for the guy and we have stupid morons who screamed "match fixing" without even looking at the damn pitch

 

[the_cliff]

I appreciate that you disagree with what I wrote. I wrote quite a bit, but I see from your response that you disagreed with " still, I'm convinced they will qualify." Given my post was made around around the 50th minute that statement was predicated on the idea that I anticipated Algeria scoring, and therefore winning in the second half. Looking at the time of your post the final whistle had already been blown. That changes the dynamic here as the context in which you voiced your disagreement has Algeria already in the predicament. My comment was they could be in a predicament if things don't change in the second half which was referenced by "another 45 minutes of this".

Now that we're operating in a context in which Algeria have already lost the game, I agree that the odds of survival now don't look great. Ivory Coast will be relishing the prospect of putting the nail in the coffin here as a marker of intent, and I have a bit of sympathy with you here because Ivory Coast have the incentive of finishing as group leaders, this is at stake with a win from either Sierra Leone or Equatorial Guinea putting that at risk.

With that being said, I think you made a great post earlier with regards to it being unlikely that a North African team would win the competition in Western Africa. My preconceived ideas were that these teams will make themselves known in the competition which will be shown in the following spoilers:

Spoiler: Nigeria - May 2020

[

Spoiler: Algeria

Similar to what you quoted from May 2020

To bring it full circle, I've seen your posts in this thread and I believe you added a lot of value; which teams do you see making an impact in the knockout rounds? Obviously it depends on the match ups, but I still expect Mali to win as dark horses. The safer and more sensible option would be Ivory Coast or Nigeria based on what's actually happened in the group stages, and should Algeria manage to qualify we'll that would be fun.

I didn't realise that your post was before the end of the game. My bad. Technically, Algeria can still qualify with a win but I find it highly doubtful.

I agree Mali are the dark horses, I've mentioned before I think they have the best midfield in the tournament. The only problem I find with them is I don't think their manager knows their best midfield as he seems to be always chopping and changing but I guess that's only normal when you have Dieng, Samassekou, Doucoure, Haidara and Bissouma as options.

If I had to put my money on a team it would be Cameroon/Nigeria.

Ivory Coast and Morocco would be outsiders.

Mali as the dark horse.

 

[Fanatic 00237]

I didn't realise that your post was before the end of the game. My bad. Technically, Algeria can still qualify with a win but I find it highly doubtful.

I agree Mali are the dark horses, I've mentioned before I think they have the best midfield in the tournament. The only problem I find with them is I don't think their manager knows their best midfield as he seems to be always chopping and changing but I guess that's only normal when you have Dieng, Samassekou, Doucoure, Haidara and Bissouma as options.

If I had to put my money on a team it would be Cameroon/Nigeria.

Ivory Coast and Morocco would be outsiders.

Mali as the dark horse.

I agree with this. Nigeria have been most impressive so far for me and Cameroon really not. The home advantage may carry them through a few rounds but I don't see them getting past the semis at a push.

Morocco is a firm outsider, and maybe Algeria if they somehow make it past the groups (funny to call the current cup holders outsiders). I'd even count Mali as outsiders as well.

The Cote d'Ivoire and Tunisia are dark horses for me.

Senegal's fortunes can go either way, I would neither be overly surprised by them winning the whole thing nor by them being knocked out early. I know they have talented players but they really haven't impressed me the least bit.

 

[Rasendori]

@thecliff @Fanatic 00237 This is not a prediction for the top two in the group stages, but what I'd like to see :
Group B 1 & 2 to be Guinea and Senegal.
Group C Morocco and Ghana
Group D Nigeria and Egypt (want to see Salah vs Mane)
Group E Torn on this one as I want to see more of Sierra Leone's GK after his first game.
Group F As long as Mali qualify I'll be satisfied

 

[Redlyn]

I agree with this. Nigeria have been most impressive so far for me and Cameroon really not. The home advantage may carry them through a few rounds but I don't see them getting past the semis at a push.

Morocco is a firm outsider, and maybe Algeria if they somehow make it past the groups (funny to call the current cup holders outsiders). I'd even count Mali as outsiders as well.

The Cote d'Ivoire and Tunisia are dark horses for me.

Senegal's fortunes can go either way, I would neither be overly surprised by them winning the whole thing nor by them being knocked out early. I know they have talented players but they really haven't impressed me the least bit.

I wouldnt say impressive, but they look better than I expected. They are actual playing better football than man united. Yes it's a low bar, I know . Nobody has looked amazing from what I have seen so far. Egypt, Ghana, Ivory coast, Senegal, Morocco etc. Not watch Nigeria yet so maybe you are right there.

 

[Fanatic 00237]

@thecliff @Fanatic 00237 This is not a prediction for the top two in the group stages, but what I'd like to see :
Group B 1 & 2 to be Guinea and Senegal.
Group C Morocco and Ghana
Group D Nigeria and Egypt (want to see Salah vs Mane)
Group E Torn on this one as I want to see more of Sierra Leone's GK after his first game.
Group F As long as Mali qualify I'll be satisfied

Being a 24 team, six group tournament, the possibility of qualifying as a best third gives Sierra Leone a chance to go through if they can get something out of their last group game. I'm curious to see the matchups which will come up in the second round. I'm quite excited about the knockout phases.

Also, I'll be happy enough with your (non-)prediction coming true.

 

[Fanatic 00237]

I wouldnt say impressive, but they look better than I expected. They are actual playing better football than man united. Yes it's a low bar, I know . Nobody has looked amazing from what I have seen so far. Egypt, Ghana, Ivory coast, Senegal, Morocco etc. Not watch Nigeria yet so maybe you are right there.

Everyone plays better football than United these days though, to be fair. But as hosts for the first time since 1972 (when they failed to win the cup), the hype around the team in the country is real. Nothing less than a cup win would satisfy the people.

I would expect team performances from the established top sides to improve in the knock out rounds. Grabbing wins, regardless of style, and ensuring a place in the second round is all that matters for now. And it's surprising that Algeria has so far failed at achieving that against opponents they should fancy beating easily. I wonder whether it's a matter of lack of the hunger against sides giving it their all in a match against the current champions.

 

[Patchbeard]

Senegal still looking out of sorts.

 

[Klopper76]

Keita scored a great goal for Guinea but they're 2-1 down. Malawi can go through if they score against Senegal.

 

[adexkola]

Senegal still looking out of sorts.

Their coach has to be under the spotlight if these performances continue. The expectation for this squad is the trophy. Anything less (including lacklustre performances) leaves the question open of whether he can get them past the final qualifying stage into the 2022 WC.

Senegal almost conceded a penalty, VAR left them off the hook.

 

[adexkola]

In other news, there are rumors that Aubemayang is being sent home for disciplinary issues instead of medical issues. A shame if true, although Gabon have done well so far without him.

Morocco look like the North African team to beat in the tournament. Have gone under the radar with boring yet professional performances especially against Ghana. They play Gabon today... Ghana have an outside chance if Morocco beats Gabon and Ghana thrash Comoros.

 

[adexkola]

Zimbabwe officially out. Shame, I feel they've been marginally better than Malawi. That last minute penalty against Senegal screwed them.

 

[Pintu]

Ghana have an outside chance if Morocco beats Gabon and Ghana thrash Comoros.

To qualify, Ghana needs to beat Comoros 2-0 (Normally 1-0 will be enough, but it might mean they have to wait and see). In the worst case (Gabon taking points), this result 2-0 would make sure Ghana is one of the best thirds.

Currently Malawi and Cape Verde are the best thirds, both on 4 points and a goal difference of 0. By winning tonight 2-0, Ghana will better that (4 pts, and +1 Gd), thus securing its qualification as one of the 4 thirds no matter what happens tomorrow.

There is also a slight chance Ghana can qualify with a draw tonight. For that to materialise, Sierra Leone has to lose tomorrow and Algeria cannot win, so the third of that group will have a maximum of 2 points. And then it will go to GD.

The third of the other group (Soudan or Guinea-Bissau) is very unlikely to get more than 2 points.

 

[Klopper76]

I'll be supporting Sudan tomorrow so that Salah can come home.

 

[NoPace]

Their coach has to be under the spotlight if these performances continue. The expectation for this squad is the trophy. Anything less (including lacklustre performances) leaves the question open of whether he can get them past the final qualifying stage into the 2022 WC.

Senegal almost conceded a penalty, VAR left them off the hook.

I've read he's well liked but tactically not so good, so maybe he can do a Loew (or Fergie-Queiroz) and just hire someone to do that part?

It's such a solid looking tournament squad with the quality CBs, tackling midfielders, Sarr and Mane (as the main man coming inside) on the break and an annoying 9 to play against in Dia. Not set up for the nice football they played in 2018 maybe, but that's a troublesome knockout team if they go defend and counter.

 

[adexkola]

Ghana

Happy for Comoros but they are not this good literally

I've read he's well liked but tactically not so good, so maybe he can do a Loew (or Fergie-Queiroz) and just hire someone to do that part?

It's such a solid looking tournament squad with the quality CBs, tackling midfielders and Sarr and Mane on the break. Not set up for the nice football they played in 2018 maybe, but that's a troublesome knockout team if they go defend and counter.

I agree, more of a man manager coach than tactician.

 

[Rasendori]

A 3-3-3-1 formation without wingbacks deployed by Comoros today (Ghana with a 4-4-2). Reminds me somewhat of Sampoali's setup against Nantes this season. Albeit the difference being Sampoali's sides typically dominate possession, whereas the early goal puts the onus on Ghana to be on the offensive. With both Comoros full backs being ran ragged against Morocco they've opted to utilise the brothers in a different capacity. Now with the red card from Ayew, it looks like they're matching Ghana's original shape with a 4-4-2 system with the added bonus of an extra man. Comoros transition to a 4-2-4 when they get past the mid block.

 

[steve zizou]

that red card for Ayew was a joke

 

[PoTMS]

This is really embarrassing for Ghana. Losing to a country I didn't even know existed.

 

[Patchbeard]

Goals flying in. Annoying the Ghana game isn't on the sky nowtv app.

 

[villain]

Amazing game, but Ghana are really shaming me ffs

 

[Fanatic 00237]

Two cracking games this evening. Exciting end to end stuff in both matches. I couldn't pick one match to watch, I’ve been switching between both, the second halves have been really good on both sides.

I’m totally shocked by the Ghana v Comoros result, red card or not.

 

[steve zizou]

I'm done with this team. Comoros ffs

 

[The Original]

Tournament cracking on very nicely after the initial goal drought. Was 11 goals after 10 initial games or so...we've had 9 goals tonight alone

 

[Earvin Johnson]

Hakimi scored perhaps the best goal of the competition so far.

 

[the_cliff]

I agree with this. Nigeria have been most impressive so far for me and Cameroon really not. The home advantage may carry them through a few rounds but I don't see them getting past the semis at a push.

Morocco is a firm outsider, and maybe Algeria if they somehow make it past the groups (funny to call the current cup holders outsiders). I'd even count Mali as outsiders as well.

The Cote d'Ivoire and Tunisia are dark horses for me.

Senegal's fortunes can go either way, I would neither be overly surprised by them winning the whole thing nor by them being knocked out early. I know they have talented players but they really haven't impressed me the least bit.

I mentioned Cameroon because home advantage in Africa is big as I'm sure you know. Once you get to the knockouts I can see the packed stadiums and the occasion being a positive influence for Cameroon.

If Algeria make it out of the group stages I'd put them with Nigeria and Cameroon as the favourites. However, that remains to be seen.

I don't fancy Senegal, Ivory Coast or Tunisia at all. On paper Senegal and Ivory Coast look good but I have yet to see both teams put in a dominant performance in this afcon or the last one. Tbf to Senegal they did reach the last Afcon final without a dominant performance but Idk I just don't see the hype with them tbh I see both teams crumbling when they face a big team.

Algeria is a big test for Ivory Coast, if they beat Algeria I'll change my mind on them.

 

[giorno]

Amazing game, but Ghana are really shaming me ffs

Shame! Shame! Shame!
give it a couple months and i'll join you in the shame corner ;_;

 

[Rasendori]

Historic night for Comoros, a population with less than 900,000 people, they won the appreciation of many neutrals tonight.

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Its Memes galore on my Twitter feed:

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Ghanaian celebrities react

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[Rasendori]

Meet Salima Mukansanga, the first woman set to referee an AFCON game

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She was the fourth official for Guinea's 1-0 victory over Malawi on Monday, and is expected to take the reins as a central referee later this week.

The 33-year-old Rwandan official was involved in matches at the Tokyo Olympics and the Women's World Cup in France, and now eyes the Nations Cup as an opportunity to prove that there should be no barriers for women referees within the men's game.

CLICK ME FOR MORE

She was the ref in the Zimbabwe vs Guinea game yesterday.

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[Annihilate Now!]

Some class games yesterday, that Morocco vs Gabon match was an absolute treat.

 

[adexkola]

It's not a Nigerian game without the brass band playing traditional songs

So far so good for Nigeria and Egypt

 

[The Original]

Moses Simon is outrageously good this tournament

 

[adexkola]

Moses Simon is outrageously good this tournament

Did you see that? Would have been goal of the tournament if it went in

 

[The Original]

Did you see that? Would have been goal of the tournament if it went in

Really good stuff from him!

 

[rooney2009]

Did you see that? Would have been goal of the tournament if it went in

Can we buy him please
More courageous than all our wingers
great skill but a bit selfish in the end

 

[NasirTimothy]

Moses Simon is outrageously good this tournament

Yes, brilliant. Funny to think that some wanted him out of the team…..