AFCON & Asian Cup: Finals Preview
The finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, or AFCON, and the Asia Cup are the highlight of international football this weekend. The AFCON brings together the best teams in Africa, while the Asia Cup does the same for the Asian countries. This year’s host countries are Ivory Coast and Qatar respectively. It is remarkable that both countries are also in the final. Read their journey here.
AFCON: Nigeria vs. Ivory Coast
The 34th edition of the African Football Championship started on Saturday, January 13, when host country Ivory Coast welcomed the players from Guinea-Bissau. Ivory Coast started its campaign smoothly with a 2-0 win. Already in the 4th minute, Seko Fofana kicked the ball into the net, and almost on the hour mark Jean-Philippe Krasso recorded the final score.
Ivory Coast then fought its way through AFCON. On the second matchday they met Nigeria, where they lost 0-1. Nigeria will now be their opponent, so the Ivorians will certainly want to take revenge. Ivory Coast played against Equatorial Guinea on the last match day in the group stage, but went down 4-0. In the eighth finals they won against Senegal on penalties. In the quarter-finals, Simon Adingra was able to save them from elimination just at the end, sending the match against Mali to extra time. There too, we had to wait until the very last minutes before another goal was scored. Ivory Coast eventually won the match 1-2. On Wednesday they won against Congo-Kinshasa in the semi-finals. The only goal in that match came in the 65th minute and was scored by Sébastien Haller. Haller plays for Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga.
As mentioned earlier, Nigeria will be their opponent. Equatorial Guinea also proved to be a difficult hurdle for the Nigerians on the first day of play, but it ultimately became a draw. Nigeria then won all matches with reasonable ease, against opponents such as Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon and Angola. In the match against Cameroon, Ademola Lookman, who plays for Atalanta Bergamo, scored both goals. In the semi-finals, Nigeria kicked Hugo Broos’ South Africa out of the tournament. It was a nail-biting match, in which Nigeria first took the lead. It wasn’t until the 90th minute that the South Africans were awarded another penalty, which gave them another chance at the final. But the penalties were clear: Nigeria won 4-2.
Asian Cup: Jordan vs. Qatar
The first match of the 18th edition of the Asian Cup was played this year on Friday, January 12 at the Lusail Stadium, where Lionel Messi lifted the World Cup with Argentina in the autumn of 2022. Host country Qatar then hosted Lebanon, and also won that match 3-0. Goalscorers on duty were Akram Afif and Almoez Ali. Afif only scored his second goal in the 96th minute. Nevertheless, it would bode well for the rest of Qatar’s trajectory.
Qatar then won each time by the smallest margin, but remained the best player in group A. Against Palestine in the eighth finals, they quickly erased a deficit. A few days later, in the quarter-final against Uzbekistan, Qatar could not maintain their lead but won on penalties. On Wednesday, in the semi-final, they beat Iran 2-3 after having to chase very early. Sardar Azmoun, player of AS Roma, scored the first goal in the 4th minute. The Qataris then straightened out the score in minute 17. The Qataris have also had a new coach since December: Spaniard Marquez Lopez replaces Carlos Queiroz.
Jordan started its campaign with a big win against Malaysia: it became 0-4, thanks to goals from Mahmoud Al-Mardi and Musa Al-Taamari. On the second matchday, it gave away the lead against South Korea in the 91st minute, meaning the match ended in a draw. A few days later it suffered a defeat against the small state of Bahrain. In the eighth finals they met Iraq, in which Jordan only managed to score two more goals and the victory in extra time. Then it met Tajikistan, where one goal was enough to win. In the semi-finals they faced South Korea again. This time they were able to maintain the lead and won 2-0.
Bet on AFCON & Asian Cup
Do you want to make these competitions even more exciting? Have a look at the Magic Betting App or visit the website for the best online sports bets. Be sure to check out the various promotions. Take your chance and win!
