All six Forest players in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations have advanced to the knockout stages with their respective teams.
Senegal’s Cheikhou Kouyaté and Moussa Niakhaté won their group with three wins out of three, while Nigeria’s Ola Aina took seven points and finished second in their group by goal difference.
Ibrahim Sangaré, Serge Aurier, and Willy Boly qualified for Ivory Coast as one of the best third-placed teams, despite winning only one game and losing two.
Here’s a recap of the AFCON group stage matches…
Ibrahim Sangaré, Serge Aurier, and Wily Boly | Ivory Coast
After defeating Guinnea-Bissau 2-0 to start the tournament, Ivory Coast lost 1-0 to Nigeria and 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea, finishing third in Group A.
Sangaré started all three games, while Aurier and Boly started once and came in as substitutes.
Other results on Wednesday, January 24th established that Ivory Coast had advanced to the knockout stages and would meet Senegal in the Round of 16 on Monday, January 29th (8pm KO).
Ola Aina | Nigeria.
Nigeria, led by Aina, won 1-0 over Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau after drawing 1-1 with Equatorial Guinea.
The Forest defender started all three games as the Super Eagles finished second in Group A, trailing Equatorial Guinea only by goal difference.
Nigeria will face Cameroon in the Round of 16 on Saturday, January 27th (8 p.m. GMT).
Moussa Niakhaté & Cheikhou Kouyaté | Senegal
Senegal earned nine points from three group games, including a 3-0 victory over Gambia, a 3-1 win over Cameroon, and a 2-0 win over Guinea.
Niakhaté started one game for the Lions of Teranga, and Kouyaté appeared once as a substitute.
Senegal has qualified for the Round of 16 against Ivory Coast on Saturday, January 27th (8pm GMT), after winning Group C.
