An overview of the 2022 African Cup Of Nations

By Faniyan Caleb

The 33rd edition of the African cup of Nations, an African football competition that is held bi-annually, started on the 9th of January, 2022. The edition which should have been held since 2021 was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The competition which was hosted by Cameroon started with the host team taking on the Stallions of Burkina Faso.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria had an impressive start defeating the Pharaohs of Egypt, the Pigeons of Sudan, and the Djurtus of Guinea-Bissau in the group stage, making it out with 9 points. However, the Eagles of Carthage of Tunisia sent the Super Eagles of Nigeria flying home with a goal in the 47th minute of their round of 16 matches.

The Pharaohs of Egypt despite their loss to the Super Eagles made it to the round of 16 and defeated Ivory Coast. They defeated Morocco in the Quarterfinals and defeated the host team in the semifinals to make their 10th final since the inception of AFCON. However, they were challenged by the Lions of Teranga of Senegal. The Senegalese team defeated the stallions of Burkina Faso to make their 3rd final since the inception of the AFCON.

The final match between Egypt and Senegal was held on the 6th of February, 2022 at the Paul Biya stadium, Olembé. The match ended in a goalless draw with Sadió Mane losing a lot of opportunities. The efforts of both teams to secure a golden goal in the 30 minutes of extra time that followed were futile and this led them to the penalties. Despite the tenacity of the Egyptian goalkeeper, Mohamed Abou Gabal, popularly known as Gabaski, the Pharaohs lost 2 to 4 to the Lions of Teranga in the penalties. Therefore, for the first time in history, Senegal won the African cup of Nations.