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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