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The Africa Cup of Nations finals in Côte d’Ivoire has delivered so far for excitement and drama … as well as goals.
There have been 65 goals scored in the first 24 matches for an exceptionally healthy average of 2.71 goals per game, way above what we have seen in the recent past and a ratio comparable with top leagues around the world.
It is so far from the best average goals per game since the 3.09 that were scored in the 2008 finals in Ghana, and is already up there with the best rations ever, and is the third most since the tournament was expanded to 16 teams almost three decades ago.
It could well be that the final round of group games — always tense affairs — and the knockout rounds lower the average, but fans have certainly had a feast so far.
Senegal have led the way with six goals from their first two matches, followed by the unlikely duo of Equatorial Guinea and Cape Verde, who both have five.
A further four sides, including Morocco, Egypt and South Africa, have four goals, while the only team of the 24 in Côte d’Ivoire that have yet to find the back of the net are Gambia.
Bafana Bafana’s Group E and Group F have seen the least goals scored with nine in the four games so far, but every side has scored at least once.
The most goals have come from Group B — which contains Cape Verde (5 goals), Egypt (4), Ghana (3) and Mozambique (2) — with 14 in all.
The 65 goals scored is already more than was netted in every Cup of Nations between 1957 and 1994, though of course the continental championship had fewer teams then.
But from 32 games in total there were only 69 goals scored in 2013, 68 in 2015 and 66 in 2017, so this tournament is well ahead of that curve.
Algeria’s Baghdad Bounedjah and Equatorial Guinea’s Emilio Nsue lead the Golden Boot race with three goals each, while a further seven players have netted more than once, including Bafana’s Bafana’s Themba Zwane.
Senegal’s rising star Lamine Camara and Ghana’s sensation Mohammed Kudus are others on the list. — SuperSport.
Online Reporter