AFCON blog: Ben Seghir through with Morocco - Maza shines, Kofane makes debut

+++ 29/12.: Ben Seghir and Morocco secure group victory +++

Morocco celebrated a successful conclusion to the group stage on Monday night. The 3-0 victory over bottom-placed Zambia gave the hosts first place and a ticket to the knockout phase. Werkself player Eliesse Ben Seghir was involved from the 64th minute onwards. One of the third-placed teams from Groups C, D and E awaits Morocco in the round of 16. The match will be played on 4 January at 17:00 CET.

+++ 28/12: Kofane assist in debut game +++

Christian Kofane did not play in Cameroon's opening match against Gabon (1-0) but the young Werkself striker was in the starting eleven in the top match in Group F against the Ivory Coast - in his debut for the senior national team. The Ivorians' opener (51’) was cancelled out by Cameroon just five minutes later, with Kofane providing the assist for the goal from a deflected shot for the final scoreline of 1-1.

In the third and final group match, Cameroon and Kofane will need a draw against Mozambique, who are currently third, to secure first or second place to go through to the knockout phase.

+++ 28/12: Maza wins in head-to-head clash and is named Man of the Match +++

Algeria won their second Group E match with Ibrahim Maza in the starting eleven. Thanks to the 1-0 win against Burkina Faso led by Edmond Tapsoba, who played the full 90 minutes just like his Leverkusen team-mate Maza, Algeria have progressed to the knockout phase of the competition. After the game, Maza was voted Man of the Match for his performance. Congratulations, Ibo!

On the final matchday in the group stage, Algeria face bottom-placed Equatorial Guinea, while Tapsoba and Burkina Faso can also secure their ticket to the knockout phase in a direct duel for second place against Sudan. The four best of the six third-placed teams in the groups will also progress.

+++ 26/12: AFCON debut for Ben Seghir in Morocco's 1-1 draw with Mali +++

Morocco defended their lead in Group A with a draw against Mali, even though the hosts missed several opportunities to score the winner. Brahim Diaz (Real Madrid) gave Morocco the lead with a penalty (45+5’) before Mali's Lassine Sinayoko (AJ Auxerre) levelled from the spot (64). Eliesse Ben Seghir made his Africa Cup of Nations debut on 82 minutes and he had a chance to make it 2-1 with a free-kick.

In the final group match on 29 December (kick-off: 20:00 CET), another draw against Zambia would be enough for Morocco to progress to the Round of 16. A win would mean they are certain to win the group.

+++ 24/12: Tapsoba scores last-gasp winner for Burkina Faso +++

Burkina Faso were trailing against Equatorial Guinea in the 85th minute, but Georgi Minoungou of the Seattle Sounders levelled in the fifth minute of stoppage time before Edmond Tapsoba, in true "Laterkusen" style, headed in the winner in the 98th.

Tapsoba comes up against Bayer 04 teammate Ibrahim Maza and Algeria on 28 December (kick-off 18:30), before Sudan await on New Year's Eve at 17:00.

+++ 24/12: Maza with debut goal for Algeria +++

The Algerians got off to a flying start with a convincing 3-0 win over Sudan. Riyad Mahrez (Al-Ahli) put the North Africans ahead after just two minutes. Only a minute after Ibrahim Maza came on as a substitute in the 60th minute, Mahrez scored Algeria's second goal. Shortly before the end, it was Maza's big moment: the 20-year-old controlled a knock-down perfectly and secured Algeria's opening victory with his first goal in national colours.

After the next game against Burkina Faso and Edmond Tapsoba on 28 December (kick-off 18:30), Algeria face Equatorial Guinea in their final group match on 31 December at 17:00.

+++ 24/12: Cameroon start with win over Gabon +++

With Christian Kofane - still playing for the Werkself in the 3-1 win over RB Leipzig - in their squad, the Cameroon national team kicked off their tournament against Gabon. They were already celebrating after six minutes: Etta Eyong of Spanish side UD Levante gave them an early lead. Despite less possession, Cameroon put in a disciplined performance against ex-BVB star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Co and held onto their narrow lead to earn an opening three points. Kofane stayed on the bench.

Next up for the Indomitable Lions are AFCON holders Ivory Coast on 28 December (kick-off 21:00), before a meeting with Mozambique on New Year's Eve (20:00).

+++ 21/12: Morocco seal win in opening match +++

After just ten minutes, Morocco could have lived up to their role as favourites in Rabat. But Soufiane Rahimi (Al-Ain FC) missed a penalty. It took till the 55th minute - despite almost 80 per cent possession in the first half - before Real Madrid player Brahim Diaz broke the deadlock at 1-0. With just over a quarter of an hour to play, substitute Ayoub El Kaabi from Leverkusen's upcoming Champions League opponents Olympiakos made it 2-0 with a spectacular overhead kick to double lead and complete the scoring. Werkself player Eliesse Ben Seghir did not feature.

Morocco's next opponents on Boxing Day at 21:00 are Mali, probably their toughest rivals in the battle to win the group. Zambia are also in Group A.

Fixtures at a glance (times CET: