Sports
2023 AFCON Complete Round Of 16 Fixtures, Kick Off Time As Ivory Coast Get Second Chance
It was a jubilant night for the hosts of the 2023 AFCON, Ivory Coast as they finally confirmed their place in the next round of the tournament after waiting for two days.
Ivory Coast, like Ghana, Algeria, Tunisia, and other former winners of the tournament who have crashed out of the 2023 AFCON, had an abysmal group-stage campaign.
Interestingly, unlike other teams, Ivory Coast have been gifted a second chance, thanks to Morocco who defeated Zambia on Wednesday night, January 24.
Note that Ivory Coast finished third in Group A after recording a 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau, a 1-0 defeat in the hands of Nigeria, and a surprising 4-0 defeat in the hands of Equatorial Guinea.
Hence, their only hope to progress in the tournament was to be one of the four best losers. There was just one slot left after the Group E teams played their game at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
Zambia who finished third in Group F with 2 points in three games were expected to beat Morocco to take the slot but lost 1-0 to the star-studded Morocco side, hence, Ivory Coast who have three points grabbed the slot and landed in the round of 16.
Below are all the 2023 AFCON Round Of 16 Fixtures and Kick-Off Time
January 27th:
Angola vs Nambia
6 p.m.
Nigeria vs Cameroon.
9 p.m.
January 28th:
Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea
6 p.m.
Egypt vs DR Congo.
9 p.m.
January 29th:
Cape Verde vs Mauritania
6 p.m.
Senegal vs Cote d’Ivoire.
9 p.m.
January 30th:
Mali vs Burkina Faso
6 p.m.
Morocco vs South Africa.
9 p.m.
Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili made a spectacular debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics, delivering an impressive performance in the women’s 200m event.
After a disappointing setback in the women’s 100m, Ofili showcased her resilience by clinching victory in her heat with a new season’s best time of 22.24 seconds on Sunday, August 4. The victory has qualified her for the 2024 Olympics 200m women’s semi-finals which will take place this evening.
Argentine football icon, Lionel Messi, has stressed that he doesn’t care how much movement he makes in a game as people continue to take note of his walking technique.
In recent times, videos of Lionel Messi practically walking while his team are off the ball have kept many football enthusiasts talking. Many believe that it is a technique to prevent being injured, some say he does that because other players are doing the hard work for him.
But in an interview with Clank Media, Lionel Messi who turned 37-year-old earlier today, June 24, 2024, said not running when he is off the ball has been a part of his game from his days at his boyhood club, Newell, in his native country, Argentina.
“When I was at Newell’s, there were two or three times a week we were sent to run around the grounds. I used to hide behind a tree. Running without a ball was never my thing. Heh”, Lionel Messi said.
“I have always been very self-critical. I am the first to know what I do right and what I do wrong. When I walk, I analyse the opponent’s positioning, how we stand when we don’t have the ball, get away from the marker and be able to initiate a counterattack.
“I don’t pay much attention to GPS, statistics or data. I never cared how much I ran in a match.”
Note that Lionel Messi had used his walking technique while off the ball to win virtually everything in world football including 10 La Liga titles, four Champions League, one FIFA World Cup, and a record 8 Ballon d’Or.
In just two matchdays in the ongoing European Championship (Euro 2024), three countries have secured their place in the tournament’s round of 16.
Interestingly, the Three Lions of England and France, seen as the Super favourites to win the Euro 2024, will have to wait until the last day of the group stage to confirm their place.
Earlier today, June 22, 2024, Portugal’s national team, ably led by five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, defeated Turkey 3-0 to book themselves a place in the round of 16.
Goals from Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, and an own goal from Samet Akaydin made all the difference.
Ronaldo provided an assist for Portugal’s third goal, which was his 7th in the history of the tournament, and the all-time highest in the European Championship.
Recall that Portugal defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 in their opening game in Group F. Hence, the Portuguese side now have 6 points in two games.
Whether or not they beat Georgia in their last group stage game on Wednesday, June 26, the Portuguese side will play in the round of 16. However, they need to win the game to ensure they finish top of Group F.
Other two teams that have already booked themselves a place in the Euro 2024 round of 16 with a game in hand are the hosts, Germany, and Spain.
Germany are topping Group A with 6 points in 2 games, while Spain are topping Group B with 6 points in two games.
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