AFCON 2023 STATS: Nigeria make history, Ivory Coast Set Unwanted Personal Record
The Super Eagles may not have played what the Ernest Okonkwo calls ‘champagne football’ but the Nigerians did just enough to make it 15 straight qualification from the group phase.
Courtesy CAF’s official website, Sportsnow.com.ng now presents the statistics and the highlights of the final round of group fixtures.
1.Mauritania qualified for the round of 16 for the first time. Against Algeria, they also obtained their first-ever TotalEnergies CAF AFCON win 8 matches.
2. This is also the first time that Senegal has made 3 out of 3 in the group stage of the competition. The Lions of Teranga did this with 8 goals scored against 1 conceded.
3. It is the second consecutive TotalEnergies CAF AFCON that Algeria is eliminated in the group stage and without any victory. In 2021, the Fennecs collected 1 point and in 2023, two points.
4. 3 goals scored from penalties between Mozambique (1) and Ghana (2), highest total in a single TotalEnergies CAF African Cup of Nations match.
5. Equatorial Guinean Emilio Nsue finishes the group stage with 5 goals. He is the second player to achieve such a performance at this stage of the competition since the Ivorian legend, Laurent Pokou (7 goals in 1970).
6. Nigeria have reached the knockout stage in each of their last 15 appearances of the competition, the longest in the history of the tournament.
8. Against Equatorial Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire suffered its biggest defeat. The Elephants had never lost a TotalEnergies CAF AFCON match by a margin of 4 goals before.
9. Five coaches left their post at the end of the group stages. Tom Saintfiet (Gambia), Chris Hughton (Ghana), Jalel Kadri (Tunisia), Djamel Belmadi (Algeria) and Jean-Louis Gasset (Cote d’Ivoire)
10. Three matches finished 0-0 in the final round of group matches. Namibia – Mali, Tanzania – DR Congo and Tunisia – South Africa
11. 24 goals were scored, fewer than during the first day of the group stage. The second day saw 38 goals.
