HOST nation Morocco and South Africa advanced to theAfrica Cup of Nations’ knock-outs stage, when Egypt star Mohamed Salah got a rest with his team already through. Morocco made sure of their place in the last 16 with a 3-0 rout of Zambia on Monday.The hosts topped Group A to stay on course for having all their knock-outs games in Rabat’s near 70,000- capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium,which will also stage the final on January 18.

 

OTHER TEAMS CELEBRATE RESULTS in Group A, where Comoros finished third with two points, and Group B, where Angola did likewise, set off celebrations elsewhere. That’s because teams with more than two points andal ready assured of at least third place in their groups have reached the last 16. The four best third-place teams from the six groups progress, along with the top two in each.

 

Head-to-head results are the first determining factor if two teams finish with the same amount of points in a group. It means 2021 winner Senegal, Congo and Benin (because of their win over Botswana, their first ever in the tournament) are through before their final games in Group D, and defending champions Ivory Coast, five-time winner Cameroon, and Mozambique (because of their win against Gabon) are through from Group F.

 

Burkina Faso and Sudan are through with already-qualified Algeria from Group E because they both defeated Equatorial Guinea. Angola,who have a better goal difference than Comoros, can still go through with two points if already-qualified Nigeria beat Uganda and Tunisia beat Tanzaniain Group Con Tuesday. NO WHISTLES IN RABAT MOTORISTS honked their horns, some with flag-waving passengers on the roofs of their vehicles, and supporters blew vuvuzelas on the streets of Rabat after Morocco’s win.