Izuchukwu Okosi
Senegal on Sunday evening at the Olembe stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon defeated Egypt via penalty shootout after regulation and extra time to claim their first Africa Cup of Nations title.
Nigeria emerged as one of the contenders for the title after their 100% run in the group stages but were eliminated by Tunisia in the Round of 16.
Nantes of France winger Moses Simon was the standout player for the Super Eagles and has made Whoscored.com’s AFCON Team Of The Tournament.
Prime Business Africa presents Whoscored’s team and the players’ ratings without Mo Salah.
Goalkeeper: Mohamed Abou Gabal (Egypt and Zamalek) – 7.63 rating
The man of the match from Sunday’s final despite Egypt’s defeat to Senegal, Mohamed Abou Gabal stepped into their XI with aplomb when required following injury to Mohamed El Shenawy. Only Sierra Leone’s Mohamed Kamara (5.7) made more saves per game than Gabal (3.8) at AFCON and he did not concede in open play during his time on the pitch to help return a WhoScored.com rating of 7.63.
Right-back: Achraf Hakimi (Morocco and Paris Saint-Germain) – 7.63 rating
The first of two Morocco representatives, Achraf Hakimi was superb for the Atlas Lions up until their quarter-final exit at the hands of losing finalists Egypt. Only three free-kicks were scored at AFCON, two of which were by Hakimi, those coming in man-of-the-match performances against Gabon and Malawi. Meanwhile, only Steeve Yago (28) made more tackles and interceptions combined than him (26) to help earn a WhoScored.com rating of 7.63.
Centre-back: Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal and Napoli) – 7.16 rating
Unsurprisingly, AFCON champions Senegal are the dominant side in the WhoScored.com team of the tournament, with captain Kalidou Koulibaly the first of four Lions of Teranga players to feature. Koulibaly routinely exhibited a statistically calculated strength of ‘passing’ as he made more accurate long balls (46) than any other outfield player at the competition to contribute towards his inclusion with a rating of 7.16.
Centre-back: Abdou Diallo (Senegal and Paris Saint-Germain) – 7.15 rating
Partnering Koulibaly at the back is compatriot Abdou Diallo, who played every minute of Senegal’s AFCON-winning campaign. Only Michael Ngadeu (362) made more accurate passes than Diallo (295) of defenders at the tournament and they helped Senegal dominate opponents and the PSG man to a WhoScored.com rating of 7.15.
Left-back: Saliou Ciss (Senegal and Nancy) – 7.27 rating
Rounding off the backline is the penultimate Senegal player in the AFCON team of the tournament. Saliou Ciss did not need a second invitation to get forward from left-back, putting up averages of 1.8 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per 90, while opponents sought to limit his influence by any means necessary. Indeed, only three players were fouled more times than Ciss (18) at AFCON as he completes the defence with a WhoScored.com rating of 7.27.
Right Midfield: Nicolas Pepe (Ivory Coast and Arsenal) – 7.97 rating
With a rating of 7.97, Nicolas Pepe is the WhoScored.com AFCON player of the tournament. Given the quality of players at Patrice Beaumelle’s disposal, Cote d’Ivoire perhaps should have fared better in Cameroon, but Pepe gave a good account of himself in the competition. The winger scored as many goals at AFCON as he has for Arsenal this season (2), while he should have had more than one assist to his name with 3.2 key passes per 90 the second-best return to nail down the accolade.
Central midfield: Ibrahim Sangare (Ivory Coast and PSV Eindhoven) – 7.64 rating
Pepe’s Cote d’Ivoire team-mate Ibrahim Sangare features in the middle of the park having returned a WhoScored.com rating of 7.64 at AFCON. Sangare’s return of 2.3 key passes per 90 was the seventh best in Cameroon while one goal and one assist saw him secure a spot in the middle of the park.
Central midfield: Moses Simon (Nigeria and FC Nantes) – 7.60 rating
The sole Nigeria player to make the team of the tournament, Moses Simon was a ball carrying machine up until the Super Eagles’ last-16 exit at the hands of Tunisia. The 26-year-old’s return of five completed dribbles per 90 was more than any other player as he successfully broke the lines to yield a WhoScored.com rating of 7.60.
Left midfield: Sofiane Boufal (Morocco and Angers) – 7.51 rating
Of the eight goals Morocco scored at AFCON prior to their quarter-final exit, Sofiane Boufal netted three, including key strikes in meetings with Ghana and Gabon. Only Cameroon duo Vincent Aboubakar and Karl Toko Ekambi hit the back of the net more times than Boufal at the competition as he ranked first for key passes per 90 (4.2) and third for dribbles per 90 (3.4) to feature on the left with a WhoScored.com rating of 7.51.
Striker: Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon and Al Nassr) – 7.94 rating
While he was unable to fire Cameroon to AFCON glory on home turf, Vincent Aboubakar was a goal machine at the competition. The Indomitable Lions captain scored at least three more goals (8) than any other player and ranked first for shots (31) as he played a key role in Cameroon’s third-place finish. 1.9 dribbles per 90 was the 20th best at the tournament as Aboubakar landed an impressive WhoScored.com rating of 7.94.
Striker: Sadio Mane (Senegal and Liverpool) – 7.54 rating
Joining Aboubakar on the frontline with a WhoScored.com rating of 7.54 is Senegal hero Sadio Mane. A first-half penalty miss in the final dented his overall rating, but Mane was superb for the Lions of Teranga throughout AFCON. He ranked fifth for dribbles per 90 (2.8) and had a direct hand in five of their nine goals, scoring three, to take his place in this XI.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
Follow Us