Check out part 3 of this story.
Group Stages, Round 1
As customs dictate, the host nation opens the tournament with their first game to set the ball rolling. Cameroun beat Burkina Faso by 2 goals to 1 after they scored within 5 minutes. One from open play and another from the spot-kick. To their credit, Burkina Faso tried to fight back when they halved the deficit, but they succumbed to defeat in the end.
Elsewhere, Morocco inflicted defeat on the Black Stars of Ghana to start their campaign strong.
The statement victory was Nigeria beating Egypt in a thrilling encounter by 1-0. Algeria was held to a 0-0 draw, but that didn’t spark any panic. They dominated, but couldn’t find their shooting boots. The Gambia opened their campaign with a low-key win.
Group Stages, Round 2
In the second round of matches, things started getting bloody quick. Ivory Coast & Ghana both dramatically drew in their respective matches. Ivory Coast saw 2 goals equalized by their opponents to draw level, whilst Ghana threw away a lead to allow Gabon to take a point from the game.
What that meant for the Black Stars was simple, their game against Comoros was a must-win, or they’d risk leaving the competition right in the group phase. But the shocker in the second round of matches came when Algeria lost.
As mentioned earlier, the defending champions drew their opening game, and although it seemed like a missed opportunity, it wasn’t causing concern. But this loss was glaring. It meant they needed to win their last group game at all costs.
But there was a problem. The problem was the Ivory Coast. Although they were in a better position, how they drew their second game meant their pride had been bruised. And they would come for Algeria to prove a point, that their draw was a fluke.
If Algeria would make it out of the group, they would have to get past the elephants of Côte D’Ivoire. Elsewhere, the Gambia drew to take their tally to 4 points, putting them in a very safe position in the tournament. Cameroun continued their rampant form by blowing Ethiopia away by 4 goals to 1.
Group Stages, Round 3
Cameroun was surprisingly held by Cape Verde in their last group game. Although it was a draw, it was good enough for Cape Verde to qualify for the knockout round. Cameroun was already through with 6 points secured from 2 games already.
This game meant more to Cape Verde than it did to them. And even though they drew, every other country was aware of the electric forward line of Cameroun, who had scored the most in the group stages.
Tunisia losing to the Gambia may have ruffled a few feathers and raised eyebrows. Both Gambia and Tunisia did qualify in the end, but it was a statement victory for the Gambia that they were not afraid to take on anyone who would come their way.
The shocker, however, came in the games featuring Algeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana & Comoros.
It fell apart for Algeria when it truly mattered. Ivory Coast showed no mercy. They destroy Algeria to dump the holders out. It looked as though a comeback was on when they halved the deficit after conceding 2 goals. But Ivory Coast added a third for a fine measure to effectively put the last nail in the coffin of the Algerians.
Champions’ curse? They say in the world cup, the previous winners usually exit abysmally in group stages. It looks like that followed Algeria all the way here. But at least they lost to a strong opponent.
Ghana had to pack their bags and go home in the wake of their atrocious defeat to the debutants, Comoros. A country that had not scored any goals yet in the competition, put 3 goals past the Black Stars.
It was dirt on the boots of Ghana and a reflection of the sad state of one of Africa’s giants, despite the big names and talents they could boast of in their squad. Comoros, with heads, held high, advanced to the next phase.
Worth noting in the Group Stage
There were a total of 6 red cards during the round of games. One of the very notable issues was in the Mali & Tunisia game. Referee Janny Sikazwe with world cup experience made a complete joke of proceedings when he got his timekeeping duties all wrong.
The man whistled for full time on the 85th minute, only to play on and blow for full time before the 90 minutes was up.
You can imagine how furious Tunisia was as they stormed the field to protests. It was quite the scene. But bar that and a few questionable refereeing decisions with VAR, the group phase came to an end.
Next up, is the round of 16.