It is homestretch for the controversial 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) with only four teams left in the tournament that kicked off on January 9 with 24 participants.
48 matches have already been played at the 33rd edition of the continental showpiece, heavyweights Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia among others being bundled out.
Four matches remain to be played at the tournament; two semifinal matches, the third-place playoff and the final.
Hosts Cameroon, record champions Egypt, 2019 finalists Senegal and 2013 finalists Burkina Faso are the two teams that remain in the tournament that gets into its semifinal stage on Wednesday, February 2, 2022.
Burkina Faso who edged out Tunisia 1-0 in the quarterfinal on Saturday, January 29, thanks to a first-half stoppage goal from Dango Ouattara (who was red-carded in the closing stages of the game), take on Senegal for a place in the final at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in the Cameroonian capital of Yaounde.
Senegal commonly known as The Lions of Teranga sealed their semifinal spot with a 3-1 win over Equatorial Guinea on Sunday and will be seeking to reach the final for a second successive time after losing 2019 final to Algeria, 1-0.
On Thursday, five-time winners the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon take on record champions Egypt in the second semifinal.
This will be a repeat of the 2017 AFCON final in which Cameroon rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit to beat Egypt 2-1 for their fifth AFCON title, current captain Vincent Aboubakar scoring the winner.
The hosts beat Gambia 2-0 in the quarterfinal on Saturday, January 29, while Egypt got the better of 2-1, after extra time, on Sunday.
The Pharaohs have won the tournament a record seven times and bank on Liverpool Stars Mohamed Salah to lead them to an eighth continental silverware.
