The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Junior Kabananga has taken the lead in the goalking race with three goals from three matches.
Kabananga scored a brace in their 3-1 win over Togo last Tuesday to over take the other contenders who until last Tuesday, led with two goals.
With some of Africa’s finest strikers, Riyad Mahrez (Algeria), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon) both on two goals out of the competition, the challenge for the topscorer award could eventually be between Senegal’s Sadio Mane and Kabananga, depending on how their quarter-final matches go.
Fifty-two goals were scored at the group stages campaign with Group B registering the most goals, with the four teams sharing 21 goals among them.
Teams in Group C kept the best for last as they scored a total five goals to register 14 goals ahead of Group A which had 11 goals. Interesting, Group D, which have two former champions, recorded only six goals.
Eight goals have been scored from the spot kick with two goals also going down in the books as own goals, according to the Technical Study Group (TSG).
Scorers’ chart
3 Goals: Junior Kabananga (DR Congo) 2 Goals: Riyad Mahrez, Islam Slimani (Algeria), Pierre-Eymerick Aubameyang (Gabon), Sadio Mane (Senegal), Naïm Sliti (Tunisia) 1 Goal: Sofiane Hanni (Algeria), Issoufou Dayo, Prejuce Nakoulma, Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso), Benjamin Moukandjo, Michael Ngadeu, Sebastien Siani (Cameroun), Wilfried Bony, Geoffroy Serey Die (Côte d’Ivoire), Abdalla El Saïd, Mohamed Salah (Egypt), Andre Ayew, Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Piqueti, Juary Soares (Guinea Bissau), Yves Bissouma (Mali), Karim Alioui, Aziz Bouhaddouz, Youssef En-Nesyri, Ghanem Saïss (Morocco), Faruku Miya (Uganda), Neeskens Kebano, Paul José M’Poku, Firmin Mubele (RD Congo), Pape Kouly Diop, Kara Mbodji, Henri Saivet, Moussa Sow (Senegal), Matthieu Dossevi, Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba (Togo), Wahbi Khazri, Yassine Khenissi, Youssef Msakni (Tunisia), Kudakwashe Mahachi, Nyasha Mushekwi, Knowledge Musona, Tendai Ndoro (Zimbabwe)
Goals from penalty
Mushekwi (Zimbabwe) against Algeria Sadio Mane (Senegal) against Tunisia André Ayew (Gha) against Uganda Pierre-Eymerick Aubameyang (Gabon) against Burkina Faso Naïm Sliti (Tunisia) against Algeria Wahbi Khazri (Tunisia) against Zimbabwe
Own goal
Aîssa Mandi (Algeria) against Tunisia Rudinilson Silva (Guinea Bissau) against Burkina Faso
Uganda finish 16th
Though they managed to score a goal in their final group game against Mali last Wednesday, Uganda are returning home as the 16th-ranked team at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The rankings released by the Technical Study Group (TSG) of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), ranked hosts, Gabon who drew all three matches in ninth position, Algeria are 10th, 2015 champions, Cote d’Ivoire are 11th, with Mali, Guinea Bissau, Zimbabwe, Togo and Uganda follow in that order.
Ghana, Egypt have best defence so far
Ghana and Egypt who made the cut to the quarter-finals of the 2017 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) have been adjudged as having the best defence at the end of the group competition.
Having kept a clean sheet in their initial two games, Ghana’s Black Stars had that recorded dented when Mohamed Salah’s 10th minute goal earned victory for the Pharaohs of Egypt in their final Group D game last Wednesday.
Zimbabwe, who conceded eight goals in their group campaign, were adjudged to have the worse defence as the Technical Study Group (TSG) for the competition released their report at the end of the group campaign.
Best defence
0 goal: Egypt 1 goal: Ghana 2 goals: Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Gabon, Mali, Morocco, Senegal 3 goals: Côte d’Ivoire, Uganda, DR Congo 5 goals: Guinea Bissau, Tunisia 6 goals: Algeria, Togo 8 goals: Zimbabwe