Football: Afcon 2023 roundup |20 January 2024
Senegal's Lamine Camara, scored twice against Gambia to becoe the youngest player with a brace in an Afcon match since 2000
Matchday 1 comes to an end with emphatic Morocco roar
Africa's premier football event in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, is shaping up after the successful conclusion of matchday one in the group stages on Wednesday January 17.
While many pre-tournament favourites secured routine wins, Ghana and Tunisia faced the full force of the burgeoning prowess of African football. Seven wins and five draws were recorded in the opening round of 12 matches.
With game two on the horizon, here's a wrap-up of matchday one in terms of statistics. Sports Brief presents the top 10 statistics from the opening round of games in what is being hailed as the most challenging Afcon yet, with all stats sourced from Opta.
Top 10 statistics from the 2023 Afcon so far:
10. Senegal's rising star, Lamine Camara, scored twice on matchday one against Gambia, becoming the youngest player (20 years and 14 days) with a brace in an Afcon match since 2000.
9. Cameroon midfielder Oliver Ntcham covered the longest distance (302 metres) and made the most progressive carries (19) but couldn't secure a win as Cameroon drew with 10-man Guinea.
8. Passing accuracy stood out for Egypt's Mohamed Abdelmonem (97.7%) and Côte d'Ivoire's Evan Ndicka (96.6%), both with 84 passes and only 2 or 3 misplaced, respectively.
7. Saudi-based Cameroon forward Georges-Kévin Nkoudou created the most chances on matchday one (7), setting a record for Cameroon players in an Afcon match (2010 onwards).
6. In progressive stats, Morocco's Abde Ezzalzouli completed the most take-ons (4) and attempted the most take-ons after a ball carry (6) in their 3-0 win against Tanzania.
5. Egypt achieved a passing accuracy of 91.3% in their 2-2 draw with Mozambique, marking the first time a side recorded 90%+ passing accuracy in an Afcon match since 2010.
4. DR Congo had the most shots (25) across all teams on matchday one, with an expected goal total of 2.5, only surpassed by Nigeria (3.5) and Cape Verde (3.0).
3. The Taifa Stars of Tanzania were the only team not to register a shot on target on matchday one, with just two attempts and an xG of 0.03.
2. There have been 27 goals in the first 12 games of the 2023 Afcon, boasting the highest goals-per-game ratio (2.3) since 2012 (2.4-76/32).
1. Egypt's Mohammed Mostafa scored the fastest goal of the tournament so far, notching his goal against Mozambique after 1 minute 34 seconds, per Africa Topsports.
