The first quarter-finalists were decided at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast on the weekend.

On Saturday, Angola reached the last eight following a 3-0 win against neighbours Namibia in the round of 16.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria in turn dispatched the Indomitable Lions, Cameroon, with a 2-0 victory.

The coach of Nigeria, José Peseiro, said now their focus will shift to their quarter-final against Nigeria.

“We will now focus on our next match against Angola, which is having an excellent tournament. We must take this opponent seriously, so we will continue to sleep early and eat pasta. Jokes aside, all the teams at this stage are capable of winning the tournament.”

On Sunday night, Guinea beat their neighbours, Equatorial Guinea, 1-0 thanks to a 98th minute Mohamed Bayo goal, while the Democratic Republic of Congo advanced after stunning Egypt with an 8-7 win on penalties. The round of 16 tie when into a penalty shootout after the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

On Monday night at 19:00, Cape Verde will face Mauritania, while at 22:00 the defending champions, Senegal will take on the hosts, Ivory Coast.

South Africa attempt to secure their spot in the quarter-finals in Tuesday night with they face the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-finalists, Morocco.

During the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, Bafana, beat Morocco 2-1 in each of the home and away fixtures.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport