2023 Africa Cup of Nations Group D

Group D of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations took place from 15 to 23 January 2024.[1] The group consisted of Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Angola.[2]

Angola and Burkina Faso as the top two teams, along with Mauritania as one of the four best third-placed teams, advanced to the round of 16.

Teams

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Draw position Team Zone Method of
qualification
Date of
qualification
Finals
appearance
Last
appearance
Previous best
performance
FIFA Rankings
October 2023[nb 1] December 2023
D1   Algeria UNAF Group F winners 27 March 2023 20th 2021 Winners (1990, 2019) 34 30
D2   Burkina Faso WAFU Group B winners 28 March 2023 13th 2021 Runners-up (2013) 57 58
D3   Mauritania WAFU Group I runners-up 9 September 2023 3rd 2021 Group stage (2019, 2021) 99 105
D4   Angola COSAFA Group E runners-up 10 September 2023 9th 2019 Quarter-finals (2008, 2010) 117 117

Notes

  1. ^ The rankings of October 2023 were used for seeding for the final draw.

Standings

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Angola 3 2 1 0 6 3 +3 7 Advance to knockout stage
2   Burkina Faso 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 4
3   Mauritania 3 1 0 2 3 4 −1 3
4   Algeria 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 2
Source: CAF
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Matches

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All times are local, GMT (UTC±0).

Algeria vs Angola

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Algeria and Angola met for the 10th time, and the most recent meeting was at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, which Angola hosted that year. A goalless draw between the nations in Luanda on Jan. 18, 2010, proved enough to send both nations to the tournament's knockout stages. The nations also met in the second round of qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The nations opened their phases on June 5, 2004, with a goalless draw in Annaba, Algeria, and would meet again exactly one year later in Luanda. Goals from Flavio and Akwa helped give Angola its first (and to date) victory against Algeria, and the 2-1 result proved crucial for Angola to qualify for its first World Cup. Algeria and Angola also met in qualifying for the 1986 FIFA World Cup and the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, for which Algeria qualified for the respective tournaments.

Algeria asserted domination and in the 18th minute, Baghdad Bounedjah produced a scissor volley to give Algeria the lead. However, poor finishing and wasted opportunities saw Algeria bitterly pay the price when a foul from Nabil Bentaleb to Mabululu saw the Angolan talisman convert the spot perfectly to seal the match to a draw.

Algeria  1–1  Angola
  • Bounedjah   18'
Report
Attendance: 19,740[3]
Referee: Issa Sy (Senegal)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Algeria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Angola
GK 16 Anthony Mandrea
RB 20 Youcef Atal   79'   80'
CB 2 Aïssa Mandi
CB 21 Ramy Bensebaini   34'
LB 15 Rayan Aït-Nouri
CM 22 Ismaël Bennacer   52'   80'
CM 19 Nabil Bentaleb   48'   72'
RW 7 Riyad Mahrez (c)
AM 17 Farès Chaïbi
LW 8 Youcef Belaïli   67'
CF 9 Baghdad Bounedjah   67'
Substitutions:
FW 13 Islam Slimani   67'
FW 12 Adam Ounas   67'
MF 6 Ramiz Zerrouki   72'
DF 3 Kevin Van Den Kerkhof   80'
MF 11 Houssem Aouar   80'
Coach:
Djamel Belmadi
GK 22 Neblú
CB 3 Jonathan Buatu
CB 6 Gaspar
CB 5 Quinito
RM 2 Núrio Fortuna   32'
CM 23 Show
CM 17 Bruno Paz   41'
LM 14 Loide Augusto   78'
AM 16 Fredy (c)   88'
CF 10 Gelson Dala   88'
CF 15 Zito Luvumbo   78'
Substitutions:
FW 19 Mabululu   41'
FW 11 Felício Milson   78'
DF 21 Eddie Afonso   78'
FW 9 Zini   88'
MF 4 Manuel Keliano   88'
Coach:
  Pedro Gonçalves

Man of the Match:
Farès Chaïbi (Algeria)

Assistant referees:
Djibril Camara (Senegal)
Nouha Bangoura (Senegal)
Fourth official:
Samuel Uwikunda (Rwanda)
Video assistant referee:
Pierre Ghislain Atcho (Gabon)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Carine Atezambong (Cameroon)

Burkina Faso vs Mauritania

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Burkina Faso and Mauritania met for the 10th time, and the first at an Africa Cup of Nations. The nations had also met in qualifying for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations, and the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Burkina Faso defeated Mauritania in a first-round qualifying phase for the 1998 World Cup, with the 2-0 victory on June 16, 1996, being Burkina Faso's only victory in that World Cup qualifying campaign. The nations also met in a preliminary round for the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, with Burkina Faso winning 3-0 on aggregate and jumpstarting its successful qualification for the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations. Mauritania's first victory against Burkina Faso came on Sept. 8, 2018, during qualification for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, with a 2-0 result in Nouakchott, Mauritania. When the nations met in the group stage finale on Mar. 22, 2019, Mauritania was assured of its first Africa Cup of Nations. However, Burkina Faso, eliminated from contention, ended the campaign with a 1-0 victory.

The match began with a fiery tempo when Burkina Faso and Mauritania fought for control of the ball. Still, it was the Mauritanians who came closest at scoring when Aboubakary Koita tested Hervé Koffi with a thunderous shot. Mauritania continued to test the Burkinabé but, after ongoing wasted opportunities, Mauritania was forced to pay a brutal price when Issa Kaboré was fouled by Nouh Mohamed El Abd, before Bertrand Traoré clinically converted the penalty to secure Burkina Faso's victory.

Burkina Faso  1–0  Mauritania
Report
Attendance: 27,898[4]
Referee: Jalal Jiyed (Morocco)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Burkina Faso
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mauritania
GK 16 Hervé Koffi
RB 9 Issa Kaboré
CB 12 Edmond Tapsoba
CB 14 Issoufou Dayo (c)
LB 25 Steeve Yago
CM 22 Blati Touré   47'
CM 24 Adama Guira
RW 17 Stephane Aziz Ki   86'
AM 11 Mamady Bangré   46'
LW 8 Cedric Badolo   73'
CF 13 Mohamed Konaté   45'   86'
Substitutions:
FW 15 Abdoul Tapsoba   76'   46'
FW 10 Bertrand Traoré   73'
FW 2 Djibril Ouattara   85'
FW 19 Hassane Bandé   86'
Coach:
  Hubert Velud
GK 16 Babacar Niasse
RB 4 Omaré Gassama
CB 13 Nouh Mohamed El Abd   90+4'
CB 5 Lamine Ba   67'
LB 20 Ibrahima Keita
RM 19 Aboubakary Koita
CM 6 Guessouma Fofana   67'
LM 3 Aly Abeid (c)   90+9'
AM 9 Hemeya Tanjy   57'
AM 10 Idrissa Thiam   58'
CF 27 Aboubakar Kamara   28'
Substitutions:
FW 11 Souleymane Anne   28'
FW 23 Sidi Bouna Amar   57'
MF 7 El Hadji Ba   58'
MF 26 Oumar Ngom   67'
DF 14 Mohamed Dellahi Yali   67'
Coach:
  Amir Abdou

Man of the Match:
Blati Touré (Burkina Faso)

Assistant referees:
Zakaria Brinssi (Morocco)
Arsénio Marengula (Mozambique)
Fourth official:
Louis Houngnandande (Benin)
Video assistant referee:
Haythem Guirat (Tunisia)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Diana Chikotesha (Zambia)

Algeria vs Burkina Faso

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Algeria and Burkina Faso met for the 18th time, and the first at the Africa Cup of Nations since 1998 when goals from Kassoum Ouedraogo (via penalty) and Seydou Traore gave Burkina Faso, the tournament hosts, its first-ever victory at the Africa Cup of Nations, a 2-1 victory that helped spearhead the nation's fourth-place finish in 1998. Both nations had also met at the group stage finale of the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, with Algeria winning 2-1 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Both also met in qualifying for the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, with Algeria and Burkina Faso both advancing to the tournament (Burkina Faso defeated Algeria in the teams' final qualifying match to secure the qualification on June 17, 2001). The nations also met in qualifying for both the 2014 and 2022 World Cups, the former for which Algeria qualified for the 2014 World Cup on the away goals rule. The nations also drew twice when they met during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification phase, with the latter being a 2-2 draw in Bilda, Algeria, that once again eliminated Burkina Faso from World Cup contention.

The match started at a high tempo with Algerian domination, but Burkina Faso's resilient defense allowed the team to stay afloat. As Algeria was overwhelmingly committing to frontal assaults, their reckless defense resulted in Abdoul Tapsoba seizing the deal with a deep cross before Mohamed Konaté flung it into the net at the third minute of extra time. With the restart of the game, Baghdad Bounedjah took advantage of a tricky free kick by Nabil Bentaleb in the 51st minute. However, an unnecessary foul by Rayan Aït-Nouri on Issa Kaboré resulted in a penalty, which Bertrand Traoré didn't miss it to make it two for Burkina Faso at the 71st minute. However, Burkina Faso squandered their lead at the fifth minute of injury time when Bounedjah won the air combat to head to the net as the game ended in a manic 2–2 draw.

This result meant Burkina Faso had scored in 16 AFCON matches, while Algeria remained winless in five AFCON matches.

Algeria  2–2  Burkina Faso
Report
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Algeria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Burkina-Faso
GK 16 Anthony Mandrea
RB 20 Youcef Atal
CB 2 Aïssa Mandi
CB 21 Ramy Bensebaini   53'
LB 15 Rayan Aït-Nouri
CM 6 Ramiz Zerrouki
CM 19 Nabil Bentaleb   81'
RW 7 Riyad Mahrez (c)   74'
AM 10 Sofiane Feghouli   45'
LW 8 Youcef Belaïli   74'
CF 9 Baghdad Bounedjah   90+6'
Substitutions:
FW 18 Mohamed Amoura   45'
FW 12 Adam Ounas   74'
MF 17 Farès Chaïbi   74'
FW 13 Islam Slimani   81'
Coach:
Djamel Belmadi
GK 16 Hervé Koffi
RB 9 Issa Kaboré
CB 12 Edmond Tapsoba
CB 14 Issoufou Dayo (c)
LB 25 Steeve Yago
CM 4 Adamo Nagalo   17'   84'
CM 24 Adama Guira   39'
RW 22 Blati Touré   90+8'
AM 15 Abdoul Tapsoba   84'
LW 20 Gustavo Sangaré   23'   84'
CF 13 Mohamed Konaté   62'   64'
Substitutions:
MF 18 Ismahila Ouédraogo   39'
FW 10 Bertrand Traoré   64'
MF 26 Dramane Salou   84'
DF 5 Nasser Djiga   90+2'   84'
FW 8 Cedric Badolo   84'
Coach:
  Hubert Velud

Man of the Match:
Baghdad Bounedjah (Algeria)

Assistant referees:
Souru Phatsoane (Lesotho)
Abelmiro dos Reis (São Tomé and Príncipe)
Fourth official:
Bamlak Tessema (Ethiopia)
Video assistant referee:
Pierre Ghislain Atcho (Gabon)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Carine Atezambong (Cameroon)

Mauritania vs Angola

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Angola and Mauritania met for only the fifth since, and all matches have occurred since 2018. The first meetings took place in October 2018, with both nations meeting during qualification for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. On Oct. 12, 2018, Mauritania took a shock lead in only two minutes with a goal from Moctar Sidi El Hacen, but Angola responded with four unanswered goals to win 4-1, with a brace from Mateus. Five days later, Adama Ba's goal was the only scoring when the teams met in Nouakchott, Mauritania. Both nations qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations, with Mauritania doing so for the first time in the nation's history. Both nations would be drawn into Group E of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, and the meeting on June 29, 2019, in Suez, Egypt, ended goalless, and ultimately, both nations exited the group stage of that tournament. The most recent meeting took place on Jan. 20, 2023, during the 2022 African Nations Championship, in Oran, Algeria, with the nations playing to another goalless draw (Mauritania advanced out of the group and into the quarterfinals).

The match started with a high tempo, and after surviving a failed Mauritanian onslaught, Angola capitalized with Gelson Dala producing a scissor finish to get Angola ahead in the 30th minute. However, just before the injury time of the first half, Sidi Bouna Amar provided a brilliant solo over Angolan defenders before unleashing his powerful shot to give Mauritania's first-ever goal from an open play in AFCON to end the first half with an exhilarating draw. Within the final 45 minutes, Dala struck the second with a smart shot that saw Babacar Niasse fail to respond in the 50th minute. Gilberto then added to the table just three minutes later after intercepting the ball from Khadim Diaw before making a clinical finish. However, Aboubakary Koita would reduce the deficit five minutes later with a stunning long-range strike, but Angola held firm to win.

It was Angola's first win at the Africa Cup of Nations since Jan. 22, 2012, against Burkina Faso.

Mauritania  2–3  Angola
Report
Attendance: 36,318[6]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mauritania
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Angola
GK 16 Babacar Niasse
CB 13 Nouh Mohamed El Abd
CB 5 Lamine Ba
CB 3 Aly Abeid (c)   46'
RWB 20 Ibrahima Keita   24'
CM 4 Omaré Gassama   85'
CM 23 Sidi Bouna Amar   81'
CM 6 Guessouma Fofana   59'
LWB 8 Mouhsine Bodda
CF 19 Aboubakary Koita
CF 25 Pape Ibnou Ba   59'
Substitutions:
DF 2 Khadim Diaw   46'
FW 27 Aboubakar Kamara   59'
FW 15 Souleymane Doukara   59'
FW 9 Hemeya Tanjy   81'
Coach:
  Amir Abdou
GK 22 Neblú
RB 21 Eddie Afonso
CB 6 Gaspar
CB 3 Jonathan Buatu
LB 2 Núrio Fortuna   90+6'
DM 23 Show
RM 9 Zini   61'
CM 7 Gilberto   78'
CM 16 Fredy (c)   86'
LM 10 Gelson Dala   86'
CF 19 Mabululu
Substitutions:
MF 4 Manuel Keliano   61'
FW 15 Zito Luvumbo   78'
MF 20 Estrela   86'
DF 5 Quinito   86'
Coach:
  Pedro Gonçalves

Man of the Match:
Gelson Dala (Angola)

Assistant referees:
Attia Amsaaed (Libya)
Khalil Hassani (Tunisia)
Fourth official:
Mutaz Ibrahim (Libya)
Video assistant referee:
Mahmoud El Bana (Egypt)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Mahmoud Abouelregal (Egypt)

Angola vs Burkina Faso

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Angola and Burkina Faso met for the ninth time. In addition to meeting at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea (which Angola won 2-1), the nations also met in qualification campaigns for 2002, 2015, and 2019 editions. Both nations split the meetings during qualifying for the 2002 edition (Burkina Faso winning 1-0 in Ouagadougou on Jan. 13, 2001, and Angola winning 2-0 in Luanda on Mar. 25, 2001) and Burkina Faso ultimately qualified for the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations. A similar scenario unfolded for the 2015 qualifiers, with Burkina Faso winning 3-0 on Sept. 10, 2014, and Jonathan Pitriopa scoring two of his six overall goals during the campaign in that match. Burkina Faso secured qualification for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations before its group stage finale, which ended 1-1 against Angola in Ouagadougou, as Pitriopa scored on a penalty. For the 2019 qualifiers, both nations also split victories, with Burkina Faso winning on June 10, 2017, 3-1 and Angola winning 2-1 on Nov. 18, 2018. Ultimately, Angola advanced, and Burkina Faso did not. In addition, both nations also met during the 2018 African Nations Championship, with the teams playing to a goalless draw in Agadir, Morocco, on Jan. 16, 2018, to open Group D (Angola advanced out of the group).

In the 36th minute, from a free kick, Mabululu drew first blood with a direct header to give Angola the lead they wanted. Despite efforts by the Burkinabés to find the back of the net, they were punished at the second minute of extra time in the second half, when from a chaotic defence in Burkina Faso's side, Jérémie Bela's thunderous shot was deflected by Hervé Koffi before Zini capitalised from the opportunity to seal Angola the win.

It was the first time ever Angola had ever topped the group of an AFCON.

Angola  2–0  Burkina Faso
Report
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Angola
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Burkina Faso
GK 22 Neblú   88'
RB 21 Eddie Afonso
CB 6 Gaspar
CB 5 Quinito
LB 13
CM 16 Fredy (c)   77'
CM 17 Bruno Paz   64'
CM 20 Estrela
RF 7 Gilbero   58'
CF 19 Mabululu   36'   77'
LF 10 Gelson Dala   58'
Substitutions:
FW 18 Jérémie Bela   58'
FW 15 Zito Luvumbo   58'
MF 23 Show   64'
FW 11 Felício Milson   79'   77'
FW 9 Zini   77'
Coach:
  Pedro Gonçalves
GK 16 Hervé Koffi
RB 9 Issa Kaboré
CB 14 Issoufou Dayo
CB 12 Edmond Tapsoba
LB 3 Abdoul Guiebre   76'
CM 20 Gustavo Sangaré
CM 18 Ismahila Ouédraogo   27'   89'
RW 10 Bertrand Traoré (c)   76'
AM 17 Stephane Aziz Ki   89'
LW 8 Cedric Badolo   45'
CF 7 Dango Ouattara
Substitutions:
FW 2 Djibril Ouattara   45'
FW 15 Abdoul Tapsoba   76'
DF 25 Steeve Yago   76'
MF 6 Sacha Bansé   89'
FW 19 Hassane Bandé   89'
Coach:
  Hubert Velud

Man of the Match:
Gaspar (Angola)

Assistant referees:
Mostafa Akarkad (Morocco)
Ahmed Hossam (Egypt)
Fourth official:
Louis Houngnandande (Benin)
Video assistant referee:
Samir Guezzaz (Morocco)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Haythem Guirat (Tunisia)

Mauritania vs Algeria

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Algeria and Mauritania met for only the seventh time, with the first meeting coming during a two-leg first-round meeting in qualifying for the 1986 Africa Cup of Nations, which Algeria won 5-1 on aggregate as they eventually qualified for the tournament. The nations also met in friendlies in 2017 and 2021, with the former being a 3-1 Algeria victory in what was the nation's final match before the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

After Algerian attempts to find the back of the net early on failed to materialize, Mauritania surprised Algeria in the 37th minute when from a corner kick, Omaré Gassama's blocked shot came to Mohamed Dellahi Yali, whose shot proved too difficult for Anthony Mandrea to deny as it hit the post before delivered home. Despite rampant Algerian pressure later on, Mauritania held firm to create history.[8]

This result meant Algeria failed to win in six Africa Cup of Nations matches. In contrast, Mauritania made history by winning a match at the Africa Cup of Nations and advancing past the group stages, both for the first time.

Mauritania  1–0  Algeria
Report
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mauritania
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Algeria
GK 16 Babacar Niasse
RB 4 Omaré Gassama
CB 20 Ibrahima Keita
CB 5 Lamine Ba   45+4'
LB 2 Khadim Diaw
DM 14 Mohamed Dellahi Yali (c)   68'
RM 23 Sidi Bouna Amar   81'
LM 19 Aboubakary Koita   53'   82'
AM 8 Mouhsine Bodda   21'
CF 10 Idrissa Thiam   82'
CF 11 Souleymane Anne   71'
Substitutions:
DF 21 Hassan Houbeib   68'
MF 6 Guessouma Fofana   71'
MF 12 Bakari Camara   81'
FW 27 Aboubakar Kamara   82'
FW 25 Pape Ibnou Ba   82'
Coach:
  Amir Abdou
GK 16 Anthony Mandrea
RB 20 Youcef Atal   81'
CB 2 Aïssa Mandi (c)
CB 4 Mohamed Amine Tougai
LB 15 Rayan Aït-Nouri
RM 6 Ramiz Zerrouki
CM 14 Hicham Boudaoui   62'
CM 11 Houssem Aouar   45'
LM 12 Adam Ounas   62'
CF 9 Baghdad Bounedjah
CF 18 Mohamed Amoura   45+4'   69'
Substitutions:
FW 7 Riyad Mahrez   45'
FW 8 Youcef Belaïli   83'   62'
MF 19 Nabil Bentaleb   62'
FW 13 Islam Slimani   76'   69'
DF 3 Kevin Van Den Kerkhof   81'
Coach:
Djamel Belmadi

Man of the Match:
Babacar Niasse (Mauritania)

Assistant referees:
Elvis Noupué (Cameroon)
Boris Ditsoga (Gabon)
Fourth official:
Ahmed Heerallal (Mauritius)
Video assistant referee:
Daniel Nii Laryea (Ghana)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Akhona Makalima (South Africa)

Discipline

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Fair play points would have been used as tiebreakers if the overall and head-to-head records of teams were tied. These were calculated based on yellow and red cards received in all group matches as follows:

Only one of the above deductions was applied to a player in a single match.

Team Match 1 Match 2 Match 3 Points
                                   
  Algeria 4 2 3 –9
  Burkina Faso 3 5 1 –9
  Mauritania 2 2 3 –7
  Angola 1 1 3 –5

References

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  1. ^ Olufemi, Damilola (12 October 2023). "FULL LIST: 2023 AFCON group draw". The Punch.
  2. ^ "WATCH LIVE: TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Cote d'Ivoire 2023 Official Draw". Confederation of African Football. 10 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Algeria vs Angola match Report". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Burkina Faso vs Mauritania match Report". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Algeria vs Burkina Faso match Report". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Mauritania vs Angola match Report". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Angola vs Burkina Faso match Report". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Mauritania 1 Algeria 0". BBC Sport. 23 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Mauritania vs Algeria match Report". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
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