As the Afcon 2021 continues there has been different results with the tally of goals increasing as teams get to know their fate as the group stage matches near competition.\
Tournament hosts Cameroon led the charge to book a spot in the next round with one match to spare. TeamKenya takes you through lessons learnt after the second round matches.
The Indomitable Lions became the first team to make it to the Round of 16 after defeating Ethiopia 4-1 in Group A.
Group C leaders Morocco and Nigeria also joined Cameroon in the knockout phase. The three nations are the only sides to have won both their group matches.
However, for defending champions Algeria and Ghana, qualification to the Round of 16 looks to be difficult.
The Desert Foxes are last in Group E with only a point after drawing against Sierra Leone and losing to Equatorial Guinea in their second match.
Their last match against group leaders Côte d’ Ivoire (Ivory Coast) is a must win for them as Algeria are yet to score in the tournament.
Ghana on the other hand, are third in Group C with a point after losing to Morocco and playing to a 1-1 draw with Gabon.
The Black Stars need a win in order to secure qualification either as group runners up if Gabon loses to Morocco or as one of the four best third placed teams.
Already two nations have been eliminated from the tournament. Both Zimbabwe and Mauritania have been eliminated after losing both their games in Group B and F respectively. The two nations will be playing for pride in their last group games.
With round two matches down, the goalkeepers have been the stand out players in the tournament with four winning the man of the match for their outstanding performances.
So far there are seven clean sheets in round 2 including three penalty saves by goalkeepers in three different matches with 12 penalties being awarded with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) taking centre stage in the group stages of the tournament for the first time.
Six in Round 1 and the same number in the second round.The VAR has awarded five penalties thus far.