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How the teams rated after the Africa Cup of Nations first round

Posted On Saturday, 2nd February 2013
AFP Sport rates the performances of the eight teams who have made it to the quarterfinals, and the eight who have gone home to lick wounds.

Emmanuel Agyemang Badu scored the 2013 AFCON's first goal

AFP Sport rates the performances of the eight teams who have made it to the quarterfinals, and the eight who have gone home to lick wounds.

BURKINA FASO: Far exceeded expectations to top Group C with a 4-0 rout of Ethiopia for their first Afcon victory since 1998. It’s a huge blow that three-goal hot-shot Alain Traore will miss the rest of tournament through injury.

CAPE VERDE: Proved shock qualifying win over Cameroon was no fluke by finishing ahead of former champions Morocco and regular participants Angola.

GHANA: Mixed showing as they surrendered two-goal lead against DR Congo and should have beaten Mali by more than one goal before clicking against Niger.

IVORY COAST: A five-star showing against Tunisia after golden oldies Didier Drogba and Kolo Toure were axed sealed first place with a game to spare. Remain the team to beat.

MALI: Desperate to do well and cheer Malians involved in a struggle back home against Islamist militants, but Seydou Keita and his team battled to overcome Niger, were outplayed by Ghana and wasted chances in a draw with DRC.

NIGERIA: Chelsea midfielder Victor Moses came up trumps against Ethiopia to take the Super Eagles through at the expense of Zambia. Have battled to convert possession into goals.

SOUTH AFRICA: Lucky to hold Cape Verde, Bafana Bafana improved to beat Angola and came back twice to hold Morocco. Have rediscovered scoring touch, but centre-backs look vulnerable.

TOGO: The Sparrow Hawks came within two minutes of holding Ivory Coast, beat Algeria and held Tunisia to secure a first last-eight appearance.

NON-QUALIFIERS ALGERIA: Failure to convert chances, including a penalty, proved undoing.

ANGOLA: A major disappointment with one point from three games and no goals for much-hyped Spain-based goal poacher Manucho.

Conceded two late goals against Cape Verde to blow chances of sneaking through.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: French coach Claude Le Roy saw his record of reaching the knockout phase in six Afcons end after the hot-and-cold Congolese drew all three matches.

ETHIOPIA: Walias Antelopes held Zambia with 10 men, conceded three goals against 10-man Burkina Faso and contained Nigeria for 79 minutes before conceding two goals off penalties.

MOROCCO: Eliminated after a hat-trick of draws. Highly rated Younes Belhanda failed to sparkle, but young midfielder Abdelaziz Barrada is one to watch.

NIGER: Among weakest sides with little to offer going forward.

TUNISIA: A late penalty miss against Togo cost them a quarterfinal place they hardly deserved.

ZAMBIA: Coach Herve Renard continued with his lucky white shirt, but it did not rub off on a team that failed to beat 10 Ethiopians, were lucky to hold Nigeria, and could not find the spark to sink Burkina Faso.

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  1. Boba Fett says:

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