The African Cup of Nations quarterfinal stage is upon us! Eight teams are left in the tournament, with some of the favorites having been eliminated in the round of 16, such as defending champions Senegal, 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinalists Morocco, and the surprise package of the group stage Equatorial Guinea.
The last eight kicks off on Friday, with two interesting showdowns taking place on February 2. All eyes will be on Nigeria, one of, if not the favorites for the title, as they are one of the four teams taking to the pitch on the first day.
Meanwhile, in the latter fixture, DR Congo and Guinea battle it out for a spot in the semifinals. Interestingly, due to the brackets, the winner of this clash will not meet the Super Eagles in the penultimate round should Osimhen and Co. triumph. Here is everything you need to know about these two quarterfinal ties.
Nigeria vs. Angola
When: 12 p.m. ET / 17:00 GMT
Where: Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny
Nigeria, despite their mixed start to the campaign, are seen as the favorites for the title following the shocking exit of Senegal and Morocco. The Super Eagles, led by African Player of the Year Victor Osimhen, kicked things off with a 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea but have won every fixture since, overcoming fellow continental powerhouse Cameroon in the round of 16.
Angola, on the flip side, topped Group D with seven points, which is identical to Nigeria's points tally in Group A. Likewise, Black Sable antelopes also kicked off their campaign with a one-all draw, picking up a point against Algeria before beating Mauritania and Burkina Faso. In the round of 16, Pedro Gonçalves' side overcame Namibia, winning 3-0 despite having a player sent off after only 14 minutes. Despite this, the Super Eagles will be a difficult hurdle for a nation that has never reached the AFCON semifinal before.
The winner of this quarterfinal will face either Cape Verde or South Africa in the semifinals.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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DR Congo vs. Guinea
When: 3 p.m. ET / 20:00 GMT
Where: Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé
From one quarterfinal to the other, DR Congo take on Guinea with the sole goal of winning the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 1974. However, despite being 90 minutes away from the penultimate stage of AFCON 2023, the Leopards are yet to win a single game in normal time, drawing their three group-stage fixtures before beating Egypt on penalties in the round of 16. Eliminating the Africa Cup of Nations' most successful team should boost their confidence.
Guinea, on the flip side, reached the quarterfinals by shocking Equatorial Guinea with a last-gasp winner, beating their rivals 1-0 in an eventful game. The opposition were reduced to 10 men just before the hour mark and missed a late penalty, with the National Elephant capitalizing on that advantage. Mohamed Bayo's 98th-minute goal secured them their second victory of the tournament, the first being a 2-0 triumph over the Gambia which earned qualification from the group stage as one of the competition's best third-placed teams.
The winner of this quarterfinal will face either Ivory Coast or Mali in the semifinals.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
If you want more details, stats, and broadcast details for the rest of the games, visit our AFCON website.
