As the group stages of AFCON 2023 come to a thrilling close, football influencer Ditebogo Mailula shares her insights on the standout teams, players, and matches that have defined the tournament so far. In an exclusive interview, she dives into the level of competition, predicts the Golden Boot winner, and analyzes the performance of host nation Ivory Coast. Here’s an in-depth look at her thoughts and predictions for the upcoming knockout stages. She has been impressed by teams such as Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, and Angola, who have performed well despite being considered underdogs. She also praised the football played by the Democratic Republic of Congo in the group stages.
Mailula believes that this year’s AFCON has been highly competitive, highlighting the growth of African football. She has observed an increase in the quality of smaller teams, making every game unpredictable. This has been a departure from the dominance typically seen by North African teams in previous tournaments.
When it comes to standout players, Mailula mentioned Themba Zwane and Tebogo Mokoena from South Africa, as well as Riaan Hanamub from Namibia, Zini from Angola, and Emilio Nsue Lopez from Equatorial Guinea. She particularly praised Lopez’s versatility, as he plays as a fullback in club football but as a winger for Equatorial Guinea. Mailula believes that Lopez has a chance to win the Golden Boot due to Equatorial Guinea’s good form.
Some of the standout games for Mailula include Angola’s 3-2 victory over Mauritania, Equatorial Guinea’s 4-0 win against Ivory Coast, Cameroon’s 3-2 win over Gambia, and Cape Verde’s 2-1 victory against Ghana. She also mentioned memorable moments such as Ivory Coast firing their coach before qualifying for the round of 16, Mauritania’s historic qualification by knocking out Algeria, and the underdogs performing well against big teams.
Mailula identified Ghana, Algeria, Ivory Coast, and Egypt as teams that have been disappointing. She felt that Ghana had strong players but poor in-game management, while Egypt struggled to win any matches and how the host nation suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat against Equatorial Guinea. Algeria’s last-place finish in their group was seen as a wake-up call for the team.
One aspect that impressed Mailula was the small teams’ refusal to employ defensive tactics against bigger teams. She cited Mauritania’s decision to continue attacking Algeria instead of defending their 1-0 lead as an example of this approach. Mailula appreciated the aggressive and fearless style of play displayed by the teams, where attacking and high pressing were prioritized over defensive strategies. She also noted that individual star power did not guarantee success, as teamwork was key.
Regarding the host country Ivory Coast, Mailula felt that they did not fully utilize their home advantage. She was not impressed with their overall performance, except for their win against Guinea-Bissau in the first game.Despite having the majority of support from the crowd, they failed to capitalize on it in their games and she spoke on how they need to up their game in their last 16 encounter against Nigeria.
Mailula believes that Senegal, the reigning champions, have been outstanding and have a good chance of retaining their title. She also mentioned Morocco as a strong contender. In addition to these big teams, she highlighted Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Angola, Cape Verde, and South Africa as underdogs to watch out for. She expressed her desire to see one of the underdogs win the tournament.
