The quarter-final fixtures for the 2019 Total Africa Cup of Nations have been set following the completion of the round of 16 fixtures which delivered some upsetting results.
Morocco kicked off proceedings against Benin and it also delivered the first shock as Benin stunned their much-fancied opponents via a penalty shoot-out. The action continued as Senegal defeated Uganda while Nigeria defeated defending champions Cameroon in an exhilarating encounter.
Minnows Madagascar continued their fairytale run with a penalty shootout victory over DR Congo while Algeria made light work of Guinea. The action concluded with Cote D’Ivoire edging out Mali in a West African derby while Ghana’s long wait for an AFCON title since 1982 continued after they went out on penalties to Tunisia.
There’s one day of rest before action resumes again on Wednesday when the quarterfinal fixtures kick-off. So what are the fixtures like and what are the things to expect?
The Quarter Finals will see some interesting matchups and it will also witness the introduction of Video Assistant Replay ( VAR) for the first time in the competition.
Quarter Final Fixtures:
Senegal vs Benin
Nigeria vs South Africa
Madagascar vs Tunisia
Algeria vs Cote D’Ivoire.
The first quarter-final fixture sees Senegal go up against West African minnows Benin Republic. The Teranga Lions who are hoping to win their first AFCON title will go into the clash as the favourites but will also be wary of a Squirrel side that shocked Morocco last time out.
Second quarterfinal fixture sees the Super Eagles of Nigeria square up against perennial rivals South Africa. The two sides have a history in the competition with Nigeria coming out on top the times they have met in previous editions.
The two sides also met in the qualifiers for the competition with South Africa getting the better of Nigeria at Uyo before they played out a 1-1 draw in the return leg. Both sides will be confident of progressing to the semi-finals after they defeated 2017 finalists in the round of 16.
The third quarter-final sees surprise package Madagascar take on Tunisia who knocked out Ghana in the last 16. Madagascar have won the hearts of fans with their performance which include a 2-0 victory over three-time AFCON champions Nigeria. They will be confident of continuing their fairy tale run when they take on Tunisia who are yet to win a match so far.
The last quarter-final sees two of the tournament favourites in Algeria and Cote D’Ivoire go head to head. Le Fennecs are the highest scoring side in the competition with nine goals so far will take on the Elephants who saw off the challenge of Mali last time out. Algeria are hoping to win their first title since 1990 and will go into the game against the 2015 champions full of confidence after seeing off the challenge of Guinea in the round of 16.
When is the quarterfinal starting? It starts tomorrow with Senegal kicking off proceedings against Benin.
Where to watch: Dstv (Supersport 7).
