AFCON 2023 : Surprises Abound

Surprises that sprung up during the just-ended 34th edition of the TotalEnergirs Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire are still ringing a bell in the minds of football lovers in Africa and the world at large. From the start of the competition many football diehards were taken aback giving the performances of some teams.
Flops
As the competition went on, it was clear that there were no favourites or small teams as it was considered in the past. The tragedy of the so-called favourites during this edition of the competition was lip-biting. The Fennecs of Algeria were eliminated in the group stage of the competition by Mauritania during their last group D game.  Mauritania that was taking part in their third consecutive African Cup of Nations, created a sensation by qualifying for the eighth finals. Drawn in a tough Group D alongside Angola, Burkina Faso and Algeria, the Mourabitounes, coached by Comorian Amir Abdou, sprang a surprise on the final day by beating Djamel Belmadi's Fennecs 1-0. The Atlas Lions of Morocco were knocked out of the competition after a 0-2 defeat against South Africa in the round of 16. The Atlas Lions, the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2022 were unable to make it to the quarterfinals. Egypt, were knocked out of the AFCON by the DR Congo at the round of 16. Even though they are record seven-time winners, they could not go far in the competition. Current cup holders, Senegal equally exited the competition at the round of 16. Senegal and Egypt were knocked out losing in the dreaded penalty shootouts.
Big Sensations
From the start of the competition, some countries like Equatorial Guinea, Cape Verde and Mali, among others were the biggest sensations. No one expected...