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Here are seven interesting facts and figures that made AFCON 2023 a memorable one.
AFCON 2023 has come and gone, laying claim to being the best Cup of Nations tournament the continent has ever had. The tourney was filled with drama, jaw-dropping goals, dumbfounding comebacks and, more importantly, a remarkably high level of football.
Here are some of the interesting facts and figures that make AFCON 2023 stand out among the rest:
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Highest-scoring AFCON in history
Prior to 2019, AFCON had been a 16-team affair or less. Hence, before the transition to the current format of 24 teams in Egypt 2019, no Cup of Nations edition had hit the century mark for goals.
AFCON 2019 saw 102 goals scored, and the following edition, Cameroon 2021, fell slightly behind with 100 goals. The just-concluded edition, however, took the volume of goalscoring to new heights, with 119, 17 more than the second-highest-scoring AFCON ever.
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Ivory Coast won the tournament despite losing two group-stage games
The host country, Cote d'Ivoire, had a fairytale tournament. Their run was like a typical Nollywood grass-to-grace storyline, in which they plunged to nigh-insuperable depths and fought hard against the tide before surfing the biggest waves as champions.
They suffered a 1-0 defeat to fellow finalist Nigeria in the group stage and were embarrassed 4-0 by Equatorial Guinea. This left them with only three points and needing favours from other groups to finish as one of the best losers.
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In that state of limbo, they fired their manager, Jean Louis-Gasset, and attempted to replace him with two-time AFCON winner Herve Renard before eventually settling for Emerse Fae, who led them to the title after they squeezed into the knockout round by the skin of their teeth, as the fourth-placed best loser.
Highest-ever prize money
CAF announced a 40% increase in prize money from the last edition of the tournament. The winners, Cote d'Ivoire, will be handed a whopping $7 million for their troubles.
Second-placed Nigeria will pocket $4 million, while the two losing semi-finalists, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo, get compensations to the tune of $2.5 million apiece.
Quarter-finalist overhaul
The concept of upsets at an international tournament was taken to a whole new level at AFCON 2023. The big two favourites coming into the competition, defending champions Senegal and World Cup semifinalists Morocco, failed to make it past the first round of knockouts.
All eight quarter-finalists from the last AFCON—Cameroon, Morocco, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Senegal and the Gambia—failed to make it into this year's, as we saw an overhaul.
They were replaced by Nigeria, South Africa, the DR Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Angola, Guinea and Cape Verde.
Most AFCON final losses
The defeat to Ivory Coast in the final meant Nigeria have now lost five AFCON finals. No other team has come close this many times without winning. Nigeria’s first AFCON final defeat also came on Ivorian soil, a 3-0 defeat to Cameroon, four years after becoming African champions for the first time in 1980.
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The second and third came successively and in North Africa. Both were 1-0 defeats to Cameroon and Algeria in Morocco 1988 and Algeria 1990.
The fourth and arguably the most painful, came on home soil, at the Teslim Balogun stadium in Surulere, Lagos, when Nigeria were beaten via penalty shootouts by Cameroon. The third time, the Terranga Lions beat Nigeria to AFCON glory.
Troost Ekong becomes highest-scoring defender for Nigeria
Super Eagles centre-back, Troost Ekong, who was named player of the tournament for his leadership at the back for a defensively resolute Super Eagles team, set a personal national record.
His three goals in Ivory Coast took his tally to five Cup of Nations goals for Nigeria. This saw him surpass the late great Stephen Keshi to become Nigeria’s leading goalscoring defender at the AFCON.
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Earliest own-goal at an AFCON
Edmond Tapsoba’s strike into his own net only two minutes and 12 seconds into the game against Mali set the record for being the fastest own-goal scored in AFCON history.
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