AFCON: A to Z of dramatic tournament
Here, 'AFP Sport' recalls alphabetically some of the drama from a 24-nation tournament regarded by many observers as the most exciting since the event debuted in 1957 in Sudan with just three teams. Quarter-finalists Angola were a revelation under coach Pedro Goncalves, winning three matches in a row having failed to achieve more than one victory at a time in eight previous appearances.
AFCON-winning coach Djamel Belmadi was fired after Algeria flopped, with a loss to minnows Mauritania leading to a first-round exit for the Riyad Mahrez-captained side. Champions Ivory Coast started the final with three players based in Saudi Arabia, two each in England, Germany and Turkey, and one each in France and Italy.
Democratic Republic of Congo coach Sebastien Desabre set a minimum target of a quarter-finals place and went one stage further with a hard-working team well led by centre-back Chancel Mbemba. Energy-sapping conditions forced water breaks in each half of matches, with many kicking off in 36 degrees Celsius heat and high humidity.
Former international Emerse Fae replaced sacked Ivory Coast coach Jean-Louis Gasset after the group stage without ever having been in charge of a senior team and guided them to the title. A record 119 goals for a 24-team AFCON tournament were scored in the Ivory Coast - 17 more than in Egypt five years ago - at an average of 2.28 per match.
Paris Saint-Germain star Achraf Hakimi missed a penalty as shock 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco bowed out in the round of 16 after a 2-0 defeat by South Africa. A hamstring injury midway through a second-round group match against Ghana forced Egypt talisman Mohamed Salah out of the tournament. Without him, the Pharaohs made a last-16 exit.
A private jet
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