In the final round of the group stage of the African Cup of Nations in the early hours of Thursday morning (25th), only one goal was scored in the four matches, as Morocco beat Zambia 1-0 in Group F to go top of the group, and the goal also brought the host country, Cote d'Ivoire, to advance to the round of 16 as the last team to be the "best 3rd place". Ironically, Cote d'Ivoire have already announced that they have fired their team leader Gassi, leaving them without an official manager for the knockout stages.
The last 4 rounds of the group stage were very conservative, South Africa vs Tunisia, Namibia vs Mali and Tanzania vs DRC were all 0-0. The only goal of the day was scored by Morocco's Xueyeji, who beat Zambia 1-0. Zambia can be one of the 4 "Best 3" teams if they get 1 point in this match, but they failed to do so, and Cote d'Ivoire caught the "Last Train" with 3 points.
Hosts Cote d'Ivoire have performed poorly this year, winning 1 and losing 2 of their 3 group stage matches, and immediately announced the dismissal of French boss Gassi and his deputy Billington after they lost 4 eggs in their last match in Equatorial Guinea. Until they have a new leader on the field, they will be led by 40-year-old former international footballer Charles Hull, who doesn't have any previous experience in coaching the first team, temporarily. Ivory Coast will face Senegal in the Round of 16, a dangerous situation.
African Cup of Nations Round of 16
Nigeria vs Cameroon
Angola vs Namibia
Cape Verde vs Mauritania
Morocco vs South Africa
Mali vs. Burkina Faso
Senegal vs. Côte d'Ivoire
Egypt vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
