Johannesburg — Morocco wrote their name in the history books as they became the first African nation to reach the semi-final of the Fifa World Cup.
But that was as far as they went in the 2022 competition as they were beaten by France, while their next clash is against Croatia in the third-place play-offs.
Credit should go to all the African representatives for putting in the work in Qatar, though, given that three of their nations reached the knockout stage.
And that’s why IOL Sport football writer Mihlali Baleka looks at five players that starred for their respective nations in their pursuit to bring glory to Africa.
Sofyan Amrabat — Morocco
Amrabat is in his first World Cup. But he fully rose to the occasion such that he was an integral figure for the Ultras Lions' illustrious run in the showpiece.
Amrabat was the link between the attackers and the runners against France such that weren’t it his work-rate, they would have lost by a greater margin.
Amrabat, though, will be proud of his efforts, given the fact that he’s said to have attracted a lot of interest from numerous elite clubs across Europe.
Mohammed Kudus — Ghana
Before the World Cup, the Ayew brothers, Andre and Jordan, were the only players from that Ghanian squad that played in the showpiece finals before.
But enter Kudus in Qatar. The 26-year-old has been a breath of fresh air for the Black Stars’ pursuit that they went on to qualify for the knockout stage.
Kudus’ exploits saw him get special praises from his club Ajax Amsterdam, while the likes of Arsenal and Barcelona are said to be vying for his services.
Yassine Bounou — Morocco
Overseas based players usually bring a lot of experience to the national teams. And that proved to be the case with Sevilla’s Bounou for Morocco.
The 31-year-old goalkeeper who was voted the MVP of the Season in La Liga last season has been in fine form in Qatar, conceding only three goals so far.
His heroics have been in regulation time, extra time and on penalties. He saved two spot-kicks in his team’s historic win over Spain in the last eight.
Kalidou Koulibaly — Senegal
The absence of talisman Sadio Mane from the Senegalese team needed a senior player to step up. And guess what? It was captain Koulibaly that did.
The Chelsea defender was his usual self, solid at the back for the Teranga Lions. But credit should also go to him for guiding the rest of the defenders.
He didn’t stop there though. He chipped in with a very important winning goal when they beat Ecuador to progress for the round of 16 in Group A.
Vincent Aboubakar — Cameroon
After grabbing the Top Goal Scorer award at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, Aboubakar was expected to bring that form to the World Cup for Cameroon.
But he didn’t start all three games in the group stage – something that didn’t didn’t deter him given that he made a huge impact from the bench as well.
Amid the goals he scored, his best was against Brazil in their last group stage match given that he was the first player to score and be sent off in 14 years.
IOL Sport