12 Records And Facts From The 2017 Africa Cup Of Nations
The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has come to an end, with the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon securing ultimate victory in the final over Egypt with a 2-1 win that few saw coming.
The competition in Gabon was entertaining, providing fans of the beautiful game with action-packed matches to enjoy over the course of three weeks.
A number of records were broken, while some interesting statistics came to light during the premier African national team competition.
Here we present 12 records and facts that emerged from the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
Sources: CAFOnline, KweseSports, SuperSport.
Cameroon win their fifth title
The Indomitable Lions crowned a fine tournament with the title on Sunday, after defeating favourites Egypt 2-1 to secure their fifth AFCON crown, moving closer to Egypt’s record haul of seven titles.
Junior Kabananga was the top scorer
Having scored only one goal in 11 previous internationals before the 2017 AFCON, Kabananga was not expected to be a major threat in attack for the Democratic Republic of Congo, but he ended the tournament as top scorer, scoring in each group stage match to finish the competition on three goals.
El Hadary became the oldest player
The 44-year-old goalkeeper became the oldest player to have taken part in an AFCON match when he came on as a substitute in Egypt’s opening match against Mali, which ended 0-0, allowing him to achieve the record.
Highest scoring game
The highest scoring game of the AFCON was an entertaining 4-2 win for Tunisia over Zimbabwe. Goals through Naim Sliti, Youssef Msakni, Yasssine Khenissi and a penalty from Wahbi Khazri ensured that the North Africans left the Stade de l’Amitie victorious, with Knowledge Musona and Tendai Ndoro scoring for Zimbabwe.
Guinea Bissau made their AFCON debut
Guinea Bissau was the only team among the 16 participants at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations to be making their AFCON debut, and while they impressed at times, they did not move on from the group stage of the competition.
A combined 11 titles in the final
Before the 2017 AFCON final was decided, the two teams brought a combined 11 titles to the table, with Egypt having seven and Cameroon four before they contested the 2017 final. That was the most number of combined titles in an AFCON final match.
Uganda’s return after 39 years
The Uganda Cranes have done well in recent years, allowing them to make a long-awaited return to the Nations Cup after last appearing in the competition way back in 1978, where they lost in the final. They failed to move on from the first round in this year’s tournament.
Hosts Gabon out in the first round
Host nation Gabon exited the competition at the first hurdle after three disappointing draws. The failure to move on to the knockout stages made Gabon the first host nation to be knocked out of the competition in the first round since 1994 in Tunisia.
Burkina Faso came third
The Stallions did not go all the way in the tournament, but can be proud of a bronze medal finish. Alain Traore’s fine second half strike handed Burkina Faso third place at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations as they beat Ghana 1-0 in the third-place playoff match.
A tournament of goals
A total of 66 goals were scored during the tournament, including three in the final, making it one of the most prolific in terms of scoring and certainly a highly entertaining spectacle for the fans, who love to see many goals scored.
Defending champions fell at first hurdle
Cote D’Ivoire failed to progress from the first round at the AFCON, despite being defending champions. The Ivorians had only two points from the three games, having drawn their matches against Togo and the Democratic Republic of Congo, while losing to Morocco.
Renard could not make it three from three
Morocco coach Herve Renard was aiming to win his third AFCON title, after winning the 2012 edition with Zambia and the 2015 competition with Cote D’Ivoire. The Atlas Lions fell to Egypt 1-0 in the quarter-finals, ending Renard’s quest for a third title.