The Africa Cup of Nations is usually full of surprises, and the 2017 edition of the tournament has been no different. We’ve already seen the hosts, Gabon, eliminated, tournament favorites Algeria sent packing and defending champions the Ivory Coast knocked out during group play.
The Ivory Coast, which featured the talents of Salomon Kalou, Wilfried Zaha, Wilfried Bony, Max Gradel, Serge Aurier and Eric Bailly, were ultimately punished for a slow start to their AFCON tournament on Tuesday.
After being held to draws against Togo and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Elephants came up against Morocco needing a victory to guarantee their place in the quarterfinals. However, a fantastic goal from Moroccan Rachid Alioui secured victory for Morocco, a side more than 20 places below the Ivory Coast in the FIFA rankings.
The goal was a sucker punch to the Elephants, a lightning-quick counterattack that was brilliantly finished with a curling, long-range effort that eliminated the defending champions.
ICYMI: #Morocco beat #IvoryCoast 1-0 to reach #AFCON2017 quarter-finals and knock out the champions. #TOTALNGAFCON pic.twitter.com/azBZuQIG3R
— Oluwashina Okeleji (@oluwashina) January 25, 2017
Morocco await the winners of Group D, who will wrap up the group stage with their matches today. Confirmed quarterfinal matchups include Burkina Faso vs. Tunisia and Senegal vs. Cameroon.
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