FOR THE RECORDS: Iheanacho, Moses Simon, and other players voted Man-of-the-Match at AFCON 2021

The 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations has come and gone with the best of the continent’s football prowess on display for a month in Cameroon.

Though over 600 players were registered for the tournament, a handful from the lot distinguished themselves; emerging as Man-of-the-Match across the 52 matches played.

Here is the LIST of all the players voted as Man-of-the-Match at the 2021 Afcon recently concluded in Cameroon.

Group Stage

Cameroon 2-1 Burkina Faso

Vincent Aboubakar (CAM)

Current team: Al Nassr

Age: 30 Years

After falling behind, the Indomitable Lions’ captain scored twice from the penalty spot to give the hosts a 2-1 win over the Stallions in the first game of the Afcon tournament

Ethiopia 0-1 Cape Verde

Kenny Rocha(CAP)

Current team: KV Oostende

Age: 22

The midfielder scored his side’s only goal; ensuring that they had the bright start at the 2021 Afcon having missed out in the preceding edition

Senegal 1-0 Zimbabwe

Sadio Mane (SEN)

Current team: Liverpool

Age: 29 years

While it wasn’t the best of games for the Teranga Lions, the late goal scored by Mane was all-important and it marked the beginning of a historic journey that ended in joy.

Guniea 1-0 Malawi

Naby Keita (GUN)

Current team: Liverpool

Age: 27

Aside from marshalling the midfield expertly for the entire 90 minutes of play, Keita had a hand in what turned out to be the winning goal for the Syli Nationale

Morocco 1-0 Ghana

Sofiane Boufal (MOR)

Current team: Angers

Age 28:

Boufal scored seven minutes from time to secure the hard-fought win for the Atlas Lions which at the end helped them to a top finish in their group

Comoros 0-1 Gabon

Aaron Boupendza (GAB)

Current team: Al Rabi

Age: 25 years

Boupendza scored the only goal of the game which inspired Gabon to a 1-0 triumph over the debutants. He powered home from an incredibly tight angle to score the crucial goal

Nigeria 1-0 Egypt

Kelechi Iheanacho (NIG)

Current team: Leicester City

Age: 25

The game in Garoua was the first-ever Afcon outing for ‘senior man Kelz’ and he did not disappoint rifling home the only goal of the game as the seven-time Afcon champions were condemned to lone goal defeat

Tunisia 0-1 Mali

Ibrahim Bosso (MAL) goalkeeper

Current team: TP Mazembe

Age: 31

Aside from being the first of the goalkeepers that emerged as man-of-the-match at the 2021 Afcon, he is one of the very few players based on the continent that were so honoured. His strings of saves saw Mali prevail in the battle of Eagles

Mauritania 0-1 Gambia

Moussa Barrow (GAM)

Current team: Bologna

Age: 23

With his solitary goal, Barrow helped the Scorpions join the exclusive list of countries that won their first match in their debut Afcon appearance.

Equatorial Guinea 0-1 Côte d’Ivoire

Jean Seri (CIV)

Current team: Fulham

Age: 30 years

Running the length and breadth of the pitch, the central defensive midfielder logged in 87 touches, 7 recoveries among other impressive stats from the Elephants’ first outing in Cameroon

Cameroon 4-1 Ethiopia

Karl Toko Ekambi (CAM)

Current team: Lyon

Age: 29

Ekambi feasted on generous defending to make it two wins from two for Cameroon as he scored two goals alongside captain Aboubakar.

Cape Verde 0-1 Burkina Faso

Ibrahim Toure (BFA)

Current team: Pyramids FC

Age: 27

The midfielder did very well as the Stallions ensured they bounced back from the heartache of losing their opening game of the tournament to hosts Cameroon.

Senegal 0-0 Guinea

Naby Keita (GUI)

Current team: Liverpool

Age: 27

Against the experienced and star-studded Teranga Lions team, Keita bossed the midfield and ensured his team share the spoils with the eventual champions

Morocco 2-0 Comoro

Salim Ben Boina (COM) goalkeeper

Current team: Martigues

Age: 30

Despite ending on the losing side, Boina was worthy of the top prize even ahead of the more experienced Morocco players. After he was honoured, he told cafonline: “I’d like to go to the professional world, it’s a dream that I could see coming true. Of course, I intend to play at the highest level, but time will tell and I leave my life in God’s hands.”

Malawi 2-1 Zimbabwe

Gabadinho Mhango (MAL)

Current team: Orlando Pirates

Age: 29

Mhango scored a brace as Malawi came from behind to beat Zimbabwe. His effort was seen as a boost for the Eastern African country’s hopes of a first-ever appearance in the last 16 at the Africa Cup.

Gabon 1-1 Ghana

Andre Ayew (GHA)

Current team: Al Sadd

Age: 32

Hoping to bounce from the defeat against Morocco, the Black Stars captain gave his team the lead in the 18th minute, Ghana held on to that slim lead for 70 minutes before their hearts were broken with a late equaliser by the Panthers.

Nigeria 3-1 Sudan

Simon Moses (NIG)

Current team: Nantes

Age: 26

The petite winger scored and assisted another goal as he followed up his spectacular performance against Egypt with another splendid display

Guinea Bissau 0-1 Egypt

Mohamed Salah (EGY)

Current team: Liverpool

Age: 29

After being helpless in the game against the Super Eagles, Salah scored the only goal that got his team back on track

Tunisia 4-0 Mauritania

Wahbi Khazri (TUN)

Current team: Ajaccio

Age: 31

Leading by example, the experienced forward scored two goals as Tunisia rebounded from their farcical opening loss at the Africa Cup of Nations with a huge 4-0 win.

Cote d’ Ivoire 2-2 Sierra Leone

Nicolas Pépé (CIV)

Current team: Arsenal

Age 26

The former Lille man got one of the goals for the Elephants but unfortunately, they could not hold as they ended up sharing the spoils with the Leone Stars who had earlier held Algeria also to a stalemate.

Algeria 0-1 Equatorial Guinea

Ivan Edu (EGU)

Current team: CF Fuenlabrada

Age 26

Though playing in Spain’s Segunda division, the lethal forward was a handful for the Algeria defence. It was Edu and his teammates that ended the Desert Foxes long unbeaten run which lasted for over two years

Burkina Faso 1-1 Ethiopia

Amanuel Yohanes Gamo (ETH)

Current team: Ethiopian Coffee S.C

Age: 22

Arguably one of the youngest man-of-the-match award recipients, the midfielder exhibited a lot of skills and potential in Cameroon

Cape Verde 1-1 Cameroon

Roberto Lopes Pico (CVE)

Current team: Shamrock Rovers F.C.

Age: 29 years

The Irish-born defender helped curtailed the rampaging Indomitable Lions as they held the hosts to an impressive score draw

Malawi 0-0 Senegal

Charles Thom (MAL)

Current team: Silver Strikers

Age: 22

The young goalkeeper debuted with Malawi in the tournament in this 0–0 tie. Barely three years into his professional career that started in 2019, Thom should go places if he continues in this light

Gabon 2-2 Morocco

Jim Allevinah (GAB)

Current team: Clemont

Age: 26 years

He scored the opening goal in the four-goal thriller and while the Panthers were pegged back, it did not affect their progress to the next round

Sierra Leone 0-1 Equtorial Guniea

Ivan Edu Salvador (EQU)

Current team: CF Fuenlabrada

Age 26

Pablo Garnets 38th-minute strike ensured Equatorial Guinea finish second in Group E and progress all thanks to the wonderful assist from Edu

Cote d’ Ivoire 3-1 Algeria

Franck Kessié (CIV)

Current team AC Milan

Age: 25 years

Kessie and his teammates hammered in the last nail in Algeria’s coffin as the erstwhile champions made an unceremonious exit from Afcon 2021. The Italy-based star scored the first goal in that entertaining encounter.

Gambia 1-0 Tunisia

Ablie Jallow (Gam)

Current team: R.F.C. Seraing

Age: 23 years

Coming in as a substitute, he scored a stunning goal deep in stoppage time to earn his team a shock 1-0 win and cemented their place in the Round of 16

Round of 16: Guinea 0-1 Gambia

Musa Barrow (GAM)

Current team: Bologna

Age: 23 years

He was the hero as the Gambia stunned Guinea with a 1-0 win that sent them through to the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals.

He scored a 71st-minute winner to help thScor[ions extend their giant-killing spree at the Afcon

Round of 16: Cote d’Ivoire 0 (4-5) 0 Egypt

Mohamed Daader (EGY)

Current team: Pharco FC

Age: 22 years

The goalkeeper proved to be the difference as he helped the Pharaohs overcome the rampaging Elephants would boast one of the most lethal forwards at Afcon 2021

Round of 16: Morocco 2-1 Malawi

Ashraf Hakimi (MOR)

Current team: PSG

Age: 23 years

He scored a terrific free-kick winner 20 minutes from time to seal a comeback AFCON win for the Atlas Lions.

Round of 16: Burkina Faso 1 (7-6) 1 Gabon

Jean Noel Amonome (GAB) goalkeeper

Current team: Amazulu FC

Age: 24

Amonome made a number of saves to help Gabon reach the last 16 before Burkina Faso knocked them out on penalties.

Round of 16: Senegal 2-0 Cape Verde

Bamba Dieng (SEN)

Current team: Marseille

Age: 21

After Sadio Mane scored and went out injured, Dieng scored Senegal’s second goal deep in the second half to seal their place in the quarter-final. Besides his goal, Dieng was a thorn in the flesh of the Cape Verde defenders with his dashing runs

Round of 16: Mali 0 (5-6) 0 Equatorial Guinea

Jesus Owono (EQU) goalkeeper

Current team: Deportivo Alavés

Age: 20

The 2021 Afcon tournament had an array of young goalkeepers but Owono is arguably the youngest among those that made an impact in Cameroon. Owono was Equatorial Guinea’s hero as his decisive shoot-out save made Mali pay for missed chances and saw the underdogs progress.

Quarter-Final: Gambia 0-2 Cameroon

Karl Toko-Ekambi (CAM)

Current team: Lyon

Age: 29 years

Having watched the Scorpions cause major upsets against some of the tournament’s biggest teams, the Indomitable Lions knew they had to be cautious against the debutants. The hosts got safe passage into the semi-final with twin strikes from Karl Toko-Ekambi

Quarterfinal: Egypt 2-1 Morocco

Mohamed Salah (EGY)

Current team: Liverpool

Age: 29

In the tense North African derby, the expertise of Salah was needed for Egypt to navigate past the Atlas Lions into the semi-final. Salah scored a goal and provided the assist for the second goal which was the winning goal that earned them a place in the last four

Quarterfinal: Senegal 3-1 Equatorial Guinea

Nampalys Mendy( SEN)

Current team: Leicester City

Age: 29

Though not on target, he was quite colossal for the Teranga Lions. The Leicester City man actually had a very decent chance from distance, forcing Owono off his line and into a decent save as Senegal looked for a second

Semi-Final: Cameroon 0 (1-3) 0 Egypt

Mohamed Abdelmoneim (EGY)

Current team: Ah Ahly

Age: 23 years

Abdelmoneim specifically played an important role in stopping Cameroon’s crosses, winning six aerials against the opponents.

During the penalty shoot-out, Abdelonem had also scored the second penalty kick, putting the Egyptians ahead after Abou-Gabal’s save.

Semi-final: Burkina Faso 1-3 Senegal

Sadio Mane (SEN)

Current team: Liverpool

Age: 29

Another assured display from the tournament’s MVP. Mane’s 87th-minute goal ensured Senegal’s place in the Africa Cup of Nations final as they survived a late Burkina Faso fight-back

Third Place: Burkina Faso 3 (3-5) 3 Cameroon

Bertrand Traoré (BFA)

Current team: Aston Villa

Age: 26

He provided an assist for one of Burkina Faso’s three goals but beyond that other stats provided by fotmob.com showed he excelled in the Aerial duel wons (80%), Accurate Passes (73%), Accurate long balls (100%), and Accurate crosses (100%)

Final: Senegal 0 (4-2) 0 Egypt

Mohamed Abou Gabal (EGY) goalkeeper

Current team: Zamalek

Age 33

First, he saved a thunderbolt of a penalty kick from Sadio Mane early in the final before pulling strings of other saves to drag the game into extra time and then penalties.

However, his heroics to ensure Egypyt win a fourth title were not successful. Abu-Gabal received the man-of-the-match award in tears after Egypt failed to win the 2021 African Cup of Nations