This year’s tournament in Morocco is the fourth edition with a Round of 16, an added knockout stage which in the past has delivered some upsets.
2019 Egypt
The decision to expand the Cup of Nations field to 24 teams met with as much scepticism as there had been in Europe a few years earlier when UEFA decided to extend the field at the European Championships too.
But, as happened in France three years earlier, the first knockout round delivered a raft of upset results and thrilling contests that handed the tournament a much-needed injection of excitement after a relatively sterile opening round group phase.
This was even though the hosts were eliminated, outplayed by a suddenly inspired South Africa who tactically outfoxed the Egyptians, playing a high line, adding to their speed on the counter and generally outplaying the Pharaohs with a neat passing game.
Thembinkosi Lorch’s late winner was as much as Stuart Baxter’s team deserved and left the neutrals wondering where this South African side had suddenly popped up from after losing two of their three opening round games.
Defensively, they were strong too as fullback Sifiso Hlanti kept a game-defining check on Mohamed Salah.
Egypt’s elimination came the day after the knockout phase started with Morocco bundled out by lowly Benin on post-match penalties.
It was an almost comical litany of missed opportunities for Herve Renard’s charges, including a penalty in stoppage time at the end of 90 minutes that should have ensured them a late 2-1 victory.
Instead, the mercurial Hakim Ziyech thundered his shot against the post and the game went to extra time, where Benin gallantly hung on for a post-match shootout victory, without doubt the greatest sporting success the small West African country has known.
Cameroon also lost their crown before Egypt went out, as Odion Ighalo scored twice for Nigeria in a 3-2 triumph.
Cameroon had come from behind to score twice just before halftime and go into the break with a swagger, only to suffer a similar one-two punch as Ighalo equalised and then Alex Iwobi got the winner three minutes later, midway through the second half.
Then followed the excitement of Madagascar, keeping up their group stage heroics to eliminate DR Congo on penalties in a dream debut tournament.
The game ended 2-2, watched by a plane load of Malagasy fans who had travelled over on a chartered plane with their youthful president Andry Rajoelina for an outing like they had never experienced before.
But leading, going into the last minute, Madagascar gave away an equaliser to Chancel Mbemba’s powerful header and it felt as if the fairytale would end there, only for Yannick Bolasie to botch his kick in the shootout and Madagascar to go through 4-2 on penalties.
Ghana were the last of a heavyweight list of past winners knocked out, ending their proud record of six successive semi-final appearances since 2008 as Tunisia edged them on penalties.
It was a fourth draw for Alain Giresse’s team, yet they looked much improved as they booked a quarter-final place. Taha Yassine Khenissi gave them a 73rd-minute lead before an unfortunate own goal from substitute Rami Bedoui forced the game into extra time.
Jordan Ayew had chances to then win it for Ghana, but Tunisia got through after changing their goalkeeper just before the shootout.
2021 Cameroon
Equatorial Guinea had eliminated holders Algeria in the group phase and continued the upset by knocking out Mali on post-match penalties after a goalless draw.
However, Comoros, who had sent the fancied Ghana home early, had their dream debut tournament run ended in a narrow 2-1 loss to the hosts.
African football’s propensity to shoot itself in the foot was no better illustrated than when Comoros were denied the use of a goalkeeper by a sudden change in the COVID rules that turned the clash into a farce.
With almost all teams battling with outbreaks of the novel coronavirus, the CAF medical commission decided, suddenly after the first fortnight of the tournament, to implement a new rule dictating a minimum quarantine period of five days for anyone testing positive, even if they tested negative the next day.
Gabon’s coach Patrice Neveu, for example, had tested positive during the group stages but had a re-test the next day and was negative and therefore able to take to his team’s dugout.
The Comoros, looking to continue their fairytale run at the expense of the hosts, were in a crisis before the game, with two of their three goalkeepers in quarantine while first choice Said Ben Boina was out after suffering a shoulder injury.
It meant they used several training sessions to test which of their outfield players might be able to fill in.
But on the eve of the clash in Yaoundé, second choice goalkeeper Ali Ahamada tested negative (three days after his positive test) and the relief was palpable, up until just hours before kickoff when CAF imposed the new, stiffer rule, the timing suspiciously benefitting the host nation’s cause.
It meant the spectre of a left-back, Chaker Alhadur, going into goal, taping on the back of an oversized goalkeeper for his number in a tawdry advertisement for the African game.
But the drama of the game at least attempted to change that image, producing a Hollywood-style spectacle where the 30-year-old made a series of stops, albeit far from orthodox, to keep Cameroon at bay before they finally scored through Karl Toko Ekambi and Vincent Aboubakar.
Comoros lost captain Nadjim Abdou to a red card after only six minutes and, despite a makeshift keeper and ten men, made a real fight of it, even scoring a late consolation from Youssouf Mchangama that proved one of the goals of the tournament.
Earlier the same day, Musa Barrow scored to hand debutants Gambia a shock 1-0 win over Guinea.
Nigeria’s form from the group stage deserted them in a dour affair with Tunisia in Garoua, where a snap effort from Youssef Msakni caught goalkeeper Maduka Okoye unawares and proved decisive.
The heavyweight clash of the round was between Egypt and the Ivorians, who both had opportunities to score. Egypt lost goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawi to injury, but his replacement, Mohamed Abou Gabal, proved the penalty shootout hero as another former winner bowed out.
2023 Ivory Coast
Nigeria’s clash with Cameroon in Abidjan provided an immediate heavyweight tussle on the first day of the knockout matches and did not disappoint as the Super Eagles provided a first convincing showing of the tournament to send home their long-standing rivals.
Victor Osimhen’s work rate was astonishing, but it was Ademola Lookman who scored both goals in a performance that exposed a poverty of ideas in the Indomitable Lions’ set-up, where the coaching acumen of Rigobert Song has been consistently questioned.
Guinea had never won a match in the knockout phase of the tournament but finally secured a victory, ending Equatorial Guinea’s giant-killing run.
But it took a goal with virtually the last touch of the match, nine minutes into stoppage time, from Mohammed Bayo to send the gallant Nzalang Nacional home, after top scorer Emilio Nsue had missed a penalty.
DR Congo and Egypt each drew their three group games, so it was no surprise their clash in San Pedro ended tied at 1-1 after extra time and was concluded after 18 penalties when Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed Abou Gabal missed his effort, leaving his Congolese counterpart, Lionel Mpasi, to win the tie.
Having limped into the last 16, there was not much hope among the locals about their chances in Yamoussoukro against holders Senegal, and that was verified after four minutes as Habib Diallo handed the 2021 champions an early lead. Sadio Mane should have been sent off in a rare VAR error, but near the end, the Ivorians won a spot kick, which Franck Kessie converted.
They then held their nerve to send Senegal packing after post-match spot kicks, as the list of leading contenders eliminated early continued to increase.
There was an even bigger shock when Morocco went out as South Africa beat them in San Pedro, scoring first through Evidence Makgopa, who was onside by the slimmest of margins for his 59th-minute goal.
Achraf Hakimi then missed a penalty, Sofyan Amrabat got sent off, and Tebeho Mokoena hammered home the final nail with a superb free kick for a surprise 2-0 victory.
