The culmination of the group stages of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Wednesday, January 24, provided football enthusiasts with the identities of the 16 nations advancing to the round of 16, along with the 10 teams whose journey concludes in the first round. Notably, among the nations eliminated, Gambia and Guinea-Bissau stand alone as the only participants failing to secure at least a single point in the group stage.
Guinea-Bissau, housed in Group A alongside host nation Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria, faced formidable challenges.
Baciro Candé’s team suffered consecutive defeats, commencing with a 2-0 loss to Ivory Coast on the opening day. Guinea-Bissau’s difficulties continued as they faced Equatorial Guinea, succumbing to a 4-2 defeat, punctuated by Emilio Nsue’s impressive hat-trick.
The Djurtus’ fate was sealed on the third day with a narrow 1-0 loss to Nigeria, ultimately finishing at the bottom of the group with zero points, a testament to the competitive nature of the tournament.
Similarly, Gambia experienced a challenging campaign, mirroring its second participation in the tournament.
Despite reaching the quarterfinals in the previous edition (AFCON2021), the Scorpions struggled this time under coach Tom Saintfiet. Defeated 3-0 by defending champions Algeria in the opening match, Gambia faced further setbacks with a 1-0 loss to Guinea and a 3-2 defeat against Cameroon.
With two goals scored and seven conceded, Gambia, like Guinea-Bissau, ended the group stage with a goal difference of -5, emphasizing their shared predicament.
In another statistical note, Ghana emerged as the nation committing the most fouls in the group stages, tallying 69 infractions across three matches.
The Black Stars recorded a notable 32 errors in a single match against Mozambique during the last day of the group stage.
Ghana also led in the number of yellow cards received, accumulating a total of 9 in the group stage, highlighting a need for discipline as the tournament progresses.
