Already an unforgettable tournament. The African Cup group stage met all expectations both on and off the field. A mix of unexpected stars, fairy tales and striking figures. Brian Soares Duarte from Youtube show Koolcast didn’t miss a second and chose his seven favorite moments for us.
1. The Unexpected Top Scorer
No Sadio Mane, Riyad Mahrez or Mo Salah. Cameroonian Vincent Aboubakar surprisingly crowned himself the top scorer of the group stage with five goals.
“A forgotten striker because he plays football in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr,” said Soares Duarte. “But so far Aboubakar has completely lived up to the expectations of the home fans. After his two penalty goals in the opening match, he scored three more times. He was one of the absolute trendsetters.”
2. The Howling Hero of Sierra Leone
The images of his spectacular rescues against superpower Algeria went viral. Goalkeeper Mohamed Kamara achieved hero status in Sierra Leone with his performance in the Africa Cup.
“When he was presented with the ‘Man of the Match’ award, Kamara burst into tears,” said Soares Duarte. “Emotions that are completely understandable. Like many other boys at the Africa Cup, he does not play for a big team (East End Lions in Sierra Leone, ed.). Then it is great that such a person can experience recognition at a major tournament.”
3. The anticlimax for favorite Algeria
One of the big contenders in advance, after the group stage the absolute disappointment. The African Cup is already over for defending champion Algeria. “Their performance was very disappointing,” said Soares Duarte. “They barely scored one point – and scored just as little – in a group that included Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone.”
“It was mainly an attacking problem. She relied too much on Islam Slimani in rush hour. Riyad Mahrez and Saïd Benrahma also failed to live up to expectations. We are now looking for the next generation.”
Riyad Mahrez.
4. The Belgian revelation in the Gambia
A Belgian as the great inspirer of a fairy tale. Trainer Tom Saintfiet surprisingly guided Gambia, the smallest African country, to the 1/8th finals. “We had an interview with him in Koolcast before the Africa Cup”, says Soares Duarte. “He already knew then that they could hurt many teams as a collective. There was also a clear tactic, with a strong defense and a plan in the transition.”
“Nobody had thought beforehand that they would break through in second place in a group with Mali, Mauritania and Tunisia. It’s only their first participation in the Africa Cup, isn’t it? It proves that you don’t always need superstars in a roster.”
5. The Cape Verde experience
Barely half a million inhabitants, but Cape Verde will soon be in the 1/8th finals of the Africa Cup. Soares Duarte – himself from the archipelago – couldn’t be prouder: “The choice at the moment is therefore a bit out of nationalism”, he laughs. “But the performance is also just good – Cape Verde took points when they had to. A great heel from Garry Rodrigues took us to the next round.”
“It is great to see how all Cape Verdeans experience this Africa Cup. We may be made up of ten different islands – and many expats abroad – but we experience moments like this as one nation.”
6. The first female ref
Historical. Salima Mukansanga was the first female referee to whistle a match at the Africa Cup. The 34-year-old Rwandan led Zimbabwe – Guinea in the right direction. Her assistants were also women.
“A great thing for the football world,” says Soares Duarte. “It shows that beyond becoming a football star there are still a number of avenues to play a role in the sport as a woman.”
7. The Comoros’ Overjoyed Commentator
There is spectacle to be experienced not only on the field, but also in the stands. As a last moment, Soares Duarte chooses Kassim Oumouri, the flamboyant commentator from the Comoros.
“He went completely crazy with his country’s first ever goal in the Africa Cup. Oumouri invariably calls his favorite player “Mon Chouchou”. As the best third place, they even qualified for the 1/8th finals. With a coach who started out as a volunteer, but got an unlikely team spirit in the group.”
Brian Soares Duarte is one of the hosts at Koolcast Sport, who discusses the current affairs at the Africa Cup in “The AFCON Show” daily in a YouTube show and podcast.
