The final two matches of the first round of the knockout round of the Africa Cup of Nations were played on 31 January, with Mali and South Africa beating Burkina Faso and Morocco respectively to qualify. The result of this game made people sigh at the charm of football, and at the same time added a lot of suspense to the next game.
Mali's clash with Burkina Faso was the focus of this knockout round, with the two teams looking close in quality, but Mali showed a colourful performance in the game. Just three minutes into the game, Burkina Faso's Tapsoba's own goal gave Mali the lead and opened the game up. Early in the second half, Sinajoko's goal again extended Mali's lead, although Burkina Faso pulled one back through Traore's penalty, but were unable to come back from the end. Mali's 2-1 win highlights the disparity in strength behind the rankings.
Morocco had a strong performance at the previous World Cup, beating Portugal, but were beaten by South Africa in the knockout rounds of the Africa Cup of Nations. At the end of the first half, the two teams were tied 0-0, and in the 57th minute of the second half, South Africa's Makgopa took the opportunity to score and lead Morocco. Morocco suffered a series of blows late in the game, with Amrabat being sent off for a red card from the penalty spot-kick and South Africa sealing the win with a direct free-kick. The match showed the inadmissibility of football, and Morocco's surprise exit from the round of 16 brought a surprise to this knockout stage.
In other matches, Portugal crashed out of the tournament against Nigeria with a 0-2 scoreline. This game proved that the decisive outcome on the football field is not only the ranking and value, but also the tacit understanding of the team and the hard work of the individual.
With Morocco, Senegal, Egypt and other African powerhouses out of the tournament, Nigeria is currently the favorite to win the Africa Cup of Nations. Nigeria, ranked 42nd in the world, are the highest-ranked team in the top 8 and have a strong squad such as African Footballer of the Year Osimhen, who is worth a whopping 1The 100 million euro Osimhen is the forward line that leads the team. Nigeria showed strong quality in the tournament and deserved to be the favourites to win the tournament.
This round of knockout matches has made people deeply aware of the uncertainty and charm of football matches. Burkina Faso are ranked below Mali, but some detail errors in the game ultimately led to their exit. Morocco's performance at the World Cup has been impressive, however, South Africa's brilliant performance in the knockout stages has shown the possibility that any strong team in football can be counterattacked.
Nigeria's rise has also been a highlight of this edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, with a balance of teamwork and individual performance not only in terms of ranking and player value, but also on teamwork. On the football field, victory always needs to be won with sweat and hard work, and the ranking and value are just references, and the victory or defeat is still decided on the green field.
Overall, the thrill of this round of knockout has brought a lot of surprises to the fans. The AFCOPA of Nations Round of 8 will be even more intense, and each team will give it their all for glory, so let's wait and see what the best moments are on the football field.