Afcon 2017: our writers select their highs and lows from the tournament

From the standout match, player and goal through to personal highlights, disappointments and more, here is the verdict on the contest in Gabon

Match of the tournament

Egypt 1-2 Cameroon The best was saved until last. This was a watchable tournament throughout but, with almost an hour of the final played, Egypt appeared to be seeing it out to a conclusion that, given some of the attacking football on view from other sides, was not necessarily the most palatable. Then came an out-of-the-blue equaliser from Nicolas Nkoulou, a whirlwind of an onslaught from Cameroon in the final 30 minutes and a goal from Vincent Aboubakar that will bear replaying over and over again. All in front of a full house, largely peopled by Cameroonian expats, that made for the kind of raw, footbally atmosphere largely absent from major finals these days. Nick Ames

Egypt 1-2 Cameroon A buzzing atmosphere at the stadium with travelling Egyptian fans and a home feeling for neighbours Cameroon. It was a typical battle of tactics between the coaches – Hugo Broos versus Héctor Cúper. We saw the best of both sides but, indeed, there is always one winner. Usher Komugisha

DR Congo 2-2 Ivory Coast The football has been better in Gabon than probably at any Cup of Nations since Ghana 2008 but it still has not produced a real classic match. Two group stage games stand out: Algeria struggling to a 2-2 draw against an impressively proactive Zimbabwe, although the impact of that was diminished by the later realisation of just how shambolic and demoralised Algeria were. The other was another 2-2 draw in which a giant struggled, Ivory Coast being largely outplayed by a vibrant DR Congo, twice falling behind but grinding their way back to a point. Jonathan Wilson

Player of the tournament

Christian Bassogog (Cameroon) Cameroon’s manager, Hugo Broos, admits that five months before the tournament he had never heard of Christian Bassogog. When the 21-year-old winger’s name came up in conversation during a sweep of Europe-based Cameroonian players he called a couple of old friends based in Denmark, where Bassogog plays for AaB, and the verdict was universal: select this guy now. Back in 2015, Bassogog was playing for Wilmington Hammerheads in the fourth tier in the US; here, he was a revelation with his speed, invention, tenacity and ability to run with the ball glued to his feet. Moved over to the left flank in the final after a quiet first half, Bassogog won the corner from which Cameroon equalised. He will not be short of suitors in the summer. NA

Christian Bassogog (Cameroon) The birth of a new star. Cameroon is known for producing big-name players from Roger Milla to Samuel Eto’o, Geremi Njitap and Patrick M’Boma, who were all present during the tournament. For the 21-year-old Bassogog to take charge of Cameroon’s attack with his pace, power and skill consistently throughout the tournament was incredible. He is the future of Cameroon’s attack. UK

Charles Kaboré (Burkina Faso) It is a source of constant bafflement that Burkina Faso’s captain, Charles Kaboré, is only 28 and that he plays for Krasnodar (having moved across the city from Kuban Krasnodar). The former Marseille midfielder, who will retire from international football after the tournament (oddly, given Burkina are in a good position in World Cup qualifying), could surely find a higher-profile club, perhaps even one that could offer him Champions League football. He was at the heart of an excellent Burkina team that just lacked a little ruthlessness in the final third, always in the right position, more than capable of making big tackles and a lovely passer of the ball, even on the often questionable pitches. JW

Goal of the tournament

Farouk Miya (for Uganda v Mali) There were excellent goals of all kinds, largely because teams showed significantly more attacking endeavour than in the last few editions of this tournament. For sheer theatre, Vincent Aboubakar’s goal will be hard to beat anywhere; Mohamed Salah, Alain Traoré and Yves Bissouma all scored brilliant free-kicks, while the long-range goal from Morocco’s Rachid Alioui, which effectively guaranteed Ivory Coast’s early elimination, was among the best of numerous strikes from open play. A personal favourite was Farouk Miya’s strike for Uganda against Mali. Uganda were already eliminated but, on a virtually unplayable pitch in Oyem, they celebrated as if this had given them the lead in the final. Miya, mastering the conditions to find the top corner from 25 yards, had scored the Cranes’ first Cup of Nations goal since 1978. NA

Vincent Aboubakar (for Cameroon v Egypt) The power and line of thinking amid the pressure of a game so important and Aboubakar’s control of the ball to beat the Egyptian defence before sending a powerful shot past Essam El Hadary, who had absolutely no chance, was not only brilliant but historic. It gave Cameroon their fifth Afcon title. UK

Matthieu Dossevi (for Togo v Morocco) This has been a tournament of fine goals, particularly free-kicks – an indication, perhaps, that the ball is a good one, that players can strike it with confidence. Three goals of different types stand out. There was Piqueti’s dancing run from deep in his own half to give Guinea Bissau the lead against Cameroon. There was Paul-José Mpoku’s 30-yard screamer to equalise for DR Congo against Ghana in the quarter-final. Perhaps best of all, though, as a team goal, there was the devastating counterattack finished off by Matthieu Dossevi that gave Togo the lead against Morocco in their second group game. JW

Personal highlight

Chatting to Hugo Broos Speaking at length to Hugo Broos over coffee the day before Cameroon’s win – how many managers give that generously of their time with a major final 30 hours away? – was a pleasure and left no doubt as to the single-mindedness it has taken to straighten out what was a messy situation only a year ago. The highlights of these tournaments are the people you talk to and, often, the locations you find them in; as such it was a joy to strike out for the tiny town of Bitam, near the border with Cameroon and miles from anywhere, to hear Emmanuel Adebayor present a sturdy defence of his career. A couple of weeks later he would sign for Istanbul Basaksehir. NA

Flight of fancy Flying on an army helicopter from the northern city of Oyem after DR Congo’s 1-0 win over Morocco was an experience. Hauled in there along with the Caf president, Issa Hayatou, and other Caf officials, we flew from Oyem to Mongomo in Equatorial Guinea where we boarded the plane to Libreville. UK

Burkina Faso’s quarter-final win over Tunisia The Stade de l’Amitié is a soulless stadium with two large shell-like stands joined by a low ring, all of the seating miles from the pitch, as though atmosphere is bring positively discouraged, yet it has been the stage for two of the most emotionally uplifting games I have ever seen. Burkina Faso’s 2-0 quarter-final win over Tunisia was not at the level of Zambia’s 2012 triumph – what could be? – but as Aristide Bancé came off the bench to break the deadlock with eight minutes remaining, then Préjuce Nakoulma broke clear to score the second, the joy among the large local Burkinabe population was unconfined. The proprietor of the kiosk near our bungalow in Angondjé was not in a good state the following morning. JW

Biggest disappointment

The poor state of the pitches Given the attacking intent most teams showed, it would have been appropriate to provide them with decent surfaces on which to perform. Sadly too many of them were sub-standard and in particular the pitch at Port-Gentil, which the Ghana and Egypt camps believed contributed to players’ injuries, was nowhere near ready to cope with the rigours of a tournament. Its installation had clearly been rushed and the ball bobbled around everywhere. It was patronising in the extreme when Junior Binyam, the Caf head of media, told journalists there was “no scientific proof” that poor pitches led to injuries. In some quarters it was also pointed out that pitches in Africa are generally below the standard of those in Europe but that does not wash here: Gabon was happy enough to lavish millions on shiny new stadiums, for one thing, and, given that this tournament is often derided, you would expect every effort to be made to ensure its watchability. NA

Senegal v Cameroon Senegal came into the tournament as one of the favourites. Failing to win against Cameroon left the Teranga Lions continuing to wait for redemption at the continental level, despite having one of the best-assembled teams at the tournament in terms of skill and talent per position. UK

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Gabon This has, broadly speaking, been a good tournament but it cannot be discussed without reference to the political backdrop. The ramifications of the disputed August election rumble on and while there was no boycott (for all the noise on social media about low crowds, they have actually been higher here than at any tournament since 2008, thanks largely to the large ex-pat communities), there was definitely less enthusiasm from the home fans than in 2012. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang seemed to catch the mood, drifting through games in shrugging isolation – although that may have been a result of José Camacho’s grimly utilitarian tactical approach rather than an attitude issue. JW

Team of the tournament

(4-2-3-1) Ondoa (Cameroon); Fai (Cameroon), Hegazy (Egypt), Koné (Burkina Faso), Fathy (Egypt); Kaboré (Burkina Faso), Siani (Cameroon); Bassogog (Cameroon), Salah (Egypt), Nakoulma (Burkina Faso); Kabananga (DR Congo). NA

(4-2-3-1) Ondoa (Cameroon); Mbodji (Senegal), Teikeu (Cameroon), Ngadeu-Ngadjui (Cameroon), Elmohamady (Egypt); Kaboré (Burkina Faso), Amartey (Ghana); Salah (Egypt), Nakoulma (Burkina Faso), Bassogog (Cameroon); Kabananga (DR Congo). UK

(4-2-3-1) Ondoa (Cameroon); Afful (Ghana), Hegazy (Egypt), Koné (Burkina Faso), Coulibaly (Burkina Faso); Kaboré (Burkina Faso), Siani (Cameroon); Bassagog (Cameroon), Salah (Egypt), Bouanga (Gabon); Kabananga (DR Congo) JW

Trickiest off-field moment

Transport tombola Transport between host cities tended to be something of a lottery: if you were lucky, you might make the cut for one of the private flights on which Caf ferried teams, delegates and whichever journalists had the sharpest elbows (or tongues); otherwise, scheduled services were available but distinctly heavy on the wallet. Extended waits and drawn-out bargaining were commonplace, with varying results. On the one hand, waltzing on to a flight from Port-Gentil to Libreville with a boarding pass bearing the name of a certain Caf official felt childishly exhilarating; on the other, if Afrijet would promptly refund the £371 owed from double-booked tickets after the Franceville quarter-final then professionally the month will have felt rather more worthwhile. NA

Awkward interviews Well, this is as far as professional hazards go. Ever had to interview a player or coach when they are at their lowest career moment? This could include interviewing or rather trying to get a word out of Sadio Mané after he has missed a penalty that cost Senegal a chance to write history by winning their first Afcon title or needing to get a reaction from Héctor Cúper, who has lost his sixth Cup final. Erm, how difficult can that be? UK

Hiccups and goats This has been a tournament largely free of off-field drama; certainly there has been nothing even vaguely close to the semi-final riot two years ago. That’s not to say everything has run smoothly, though, with most hiccups involving the less than reliable flights between venues. There was the goat in the boot of the taxi as we made for a flight out of Oyem, the curious special fee that allowed us to board a plane out of Franceville with the Tunisia and Zimbabwe teams and the absurdity of reaching Port-Gentil airport despairing of getting on a plane carrying Caf officials, including Issa Hayatou, only to find a woman at the entrance clutching a boarding pass and asking any plausible candidate whether they were me. JW

Fondest memory of Gabon

Bars away from the bubble The simple pleasure of a Friday night spent, after a wrong turn or two, in a dive bar in downtown Libreville far away from the tournament bubble. Libreville is not short of high-end eating and drinking establishments but here, opening out at the end of an unprepossessing corridor by the old port, was a throbbing cross-section of the local community who were all too happy to drink and chew on kola nuts with the only two foreigners present. Many Gabonese have a far harder time of things than citizens of such an oil-rich country should – their forbearance is admirable and, at risk of sounding cliched, their sheer generosity of spirit made the country a pleasure to spend time in. NA

Banter with Roger Milla and El Hadji Diouf After a hard day’s work, dining at the little Le Mississippi restaurant in the central of Libreville gave the tournament a great feeling. Dining with all the big names in African football was not a bad choice to recap on the day’s action every evening. I don’t think anyone would complain about sharing thoughts with Roger Milla and El Hadji Diouf on a night when Cameroon stunned the tournament favourites, Senegal. The banter, albeit in French, was unbelievable. Nothing can replace that whatsoever. Bumping into names such as Anthony Baffoe, Khalilou Fadiga and Kalusha Bwalya at the Radisson Blu every morning cannot be replaced with anything. It was quite the experience. UK

Phenomenal food The food has been generally extremely good. Whatever else can be said about the respective empires, the French left a far better culinary legacy than the British. There has been good beef and fresh fish, and seafood straight from the Atlantic, whether eating in roadside shacks or fancy restaurants. The highlight was probably Le Bistrot in Port-Gentil, an oasis in a generally drab city. The French owner was welcoming and just cantankerous enough and, although the chalkboard menu that was proudly held aloft before customers bore little relation to the actual food available, what they did have was so good it barely mattered. Plus the Côtes du Rhône was excellent. JW

Contributors

Nick Ames, Usher Komugisha and Jonathan Wilson

The GuardianTramp

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