THE STARS AND FLOPS after group matches

Kabananga achieved something that nobody else managed in the group stage, scoring in all three matches. The giant 27-year-old forward, who plays his club football in Kazakhstan, netted the only goal in a 1-0 opening defeat of Morocco and then his side‘s second in a 2-2 draw with the Ivory Coast. Against Togo on Tuesday, he showed power and strength as he ran through to get the first goal and he also hit the post in a 3-1 win. The former Anderlecht man was seen as a flop in Belgium but is now one of the main reasons why DR Congo are one of the favourites to win the trophy.

YVES BISSOUMA (Mali)

Mali bowed out with little more than a whimper but the 20-year-old made a big impression. His cameo from the bench in his team‘s opening 0-0 draw with Egypt had Malians demanding that the talented Ivory Coast-born midfielder start their next game against Ghana. Once more coach Alain Giresse left him out before bringing him on for the second half in a 1-0 defeat. When he finally started against Uganda on Wednesday, Bissouma netted Mali’s goal in a 1-1 draw from a bullet of a free-kick from 30 yards. It was not enough to prevent his country from an early elimination and he will now return to his French club Lille.

ESSAM EL HADARY (Egypt)

One of only four survivors from the last Egypt side to come to the Africa Cup of Nations -- and win it -- in 2010, El Hadary turned 44 two days before their first game against Mali. He came off the bench in the first half of that match for injured team-mate Ahmed El Shennawy and became the oldest player ever at the competition. He can clearly still perform as well, keeping a clean sheet in that game and then again in 1-0 wins over Uganda and Ghana that saw the Pharaohs top their group.

THE FLOPS

PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG

It might seem harsh on a player who scored both of his country‘s goals at the competition. But Aubameyang did not live up to the sky-high expectations placed on him. The Borussia Dortmund striker, a former African Footballer of the Year, seemed distant for much of the time and was reluctant to talk to the media despite being the captain of the host nation. He was also guilty of a glaring miss early on in the draw with Cameroon that eliminated the Panthers. After his penalty miss that precipitated Gabon‘s elimination in the quarter-finals as co-hosts in 2012, this was another disappointing tournament for the French-born star.

GABON

Gabon bowed out without losing a game but did little to win over a population lacking enthusiasm in the Cup of Nations at a time when the country is battling with a social and political crisis. Their inability to win a game -- they drew all three matches -- meant the late decision to sack coach Jorge Costa and replace him with non-French speaker Jose Antonio Camacho backfired. Aubameyang also blamed poor preparation, saying: „We were supposed to start on January 3, but we started a little bit late. We didn‘t really have the time to prepare.“ For only the fourth time, and the first since Tunisia in 1994, the hosts failed to make it past the first round.

PITCHES

Togo coach Claude Le Roy spoke for all his counterparts when he described the playing surface in Port-Gentil as „unworthy of hosting top-level football“. The shocking pitch in the port city was by far the worst of a bad bunch and was directly responsible for several injuries, including the knee injury suffered by Ghana‘s Abdul Rahman Baba that ended his tournament in the first game. The Confederation of African Football were aware of the concerns but seemingly not enough to move the quarter-final due to be played there on Sunday. „This is the Cup of Nations, we need to try to improve things,“ said Togo skipper Emmanuel Adebayor.

ALGERIA

Algeria were seen as one of the pre-tournament favourites. They had the newly-crowned African Footballer of the Year, Riyad Mahrez, in their ranks and a talented supporting cast around the Leicester City wizard. But Georges Leekens‘ side went home without winning a game. A Mahrez brace only earned them a 2-2 draw with Zimbabwe in their opening match and a defeat to north African rivals Tunisia effectively ended their hopes before a 2-2 draw with Senegal ended their campaign. Algeria‘s wait for a first Cup of Nations crown since 1990 goes on, and coach Leekens quit after their exit.

IVORY COAST

The reigning champions were another big-name group-stage victim. The Elephants came looking to defend the title they won in 2015 but this was a much-changed side. With a new coach in Michel Dussuyer and with a new generation of players replacing the likes of the Toure brothers and Gervinho, they could not win a game. A young side could only draw with Togo and DR Congo before a 1-0 defeat to a Morocco coached by their old boss Herve Renard sent them packing. For the fourth successive Cup of Nations, the holders are out before the knockout phase.