AFCON 2021: 5 things we learnt as Gambia, Equatorial Guinea upset Mali, Algeria

The second round of group games at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) got concluded on Day 8 of the competition, with the Gambia and Equatorial Guinea providing the upsets, Tunisia, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone providing the goals, and defending champions Algeria looking, to emulate Mauritania’s footsteps of exiting the competition.

But while drama, upsets, and goals dominated the day, what lessons were left to be learnt?

Gambia are indeed a threat

Currently, top of Group F following their 1-1 draw with Mali, debutants the Gambia announced themselves to the AFCON as a team would that will have to be treated with a bit more respect on the pitch.

A game many would have expected to easily swing Mali's way considering their dominance had to be evenly split, as the Gambia put up their best to keep Mohamed Magassouba’s side at bay. Although Mali eventually took the lead from the penalty spot in the 79th minute, Gambia refused to relent, also grabbing their penalty and scoring to ensure the game ended apiece. 

Ivory Coast's fabulous attacking force might not be enough to win them games

An attack littered with various talents from Sebastien Haller to Wilfred Zaha to Nicolas Pepe to Franck Kessie and more, Ivory Coast played like a side with the best players. 

Constant attacking pressure at the Sierra Leoneans and two brilliant goals in either half of the game could have been enough to see them grab all points, but the 2015 AFCON champions were handed a tough lesson that sometimes, you need more than a great attack to win. You need a little bit of luck.

The Japoma Stadium in Douala should always be considered a factor for getting results

For all of Ivory Coast's hard work in their game with Sierra Leone, the Elephants were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw at full-time, after their goalkeeper Badra Ali Sangare dramatically spilt a headed back pass to allow Sierra Leone to grab a late equalizer. 

Sangare himself will not be considered the real culprit. The pitch at the Japoma Stadium in Douala had contributed to him spilling the back pass, terribly injuring him in the process. The stadium's surface would become a factor that teams playing in Douala for the rest of the competition will always, consider important should they escape raking up injuries.

Mauritania is a cheap cake, Tunisia are not so special

Although Tunisia's ability to score four goals past Mauritania might have seemed impressive, it also showed that the Mauritanians were just at the AFCON to make up the numbers.

Poor defensive covers and unimpressive attacks were the highlights of Mauritania's play as Tunisia took advantage of every error to score. But one thing stood out for Didier Gomes Da Rosa’s men, their passes. Should Tunisia have met a tougher opposition with such ability, they would have found dominating, difficult.

Algeria are in a 'hot soup'

African champions Algeria were stunned in a 1-0 defeat against the 114th-ranked team in the world Equatorial Guinea. The defeat to the minnows meant the 2019 AFCON winners lost a game for the first time following an impressive run of 35 matches without losing.

It further meant that Algeria - currently last in Group E with 1 point - will need to defeat fellow heavyweights, Ivory Coast, for them to stand a chance to continue their title defence. Any result other than that will see them eliminated. In simpler terms, "Algeria are in a hot soup".