BY Samson Jurah
The 2019 AFCON knock out stage that will stretch across four days will officially kick off tonight. Two matches will be played today where Morocco continue their campaign when taking on Benin in al salaam as Uganda take on Senegal in Cairo.
Morocco will be facing Benin for the second time in an African Cup of Nation encounter tonight in the round of 16 at the AL salaam stadium. The first time the two met was in January 2004 and Morocco won by 4 goals to none.
Fast forward to 2019, Morocco have won their last three games in group D of the Africa Cup of Nations 1-0 each time. They have won four in a row only once in AFCON history, during the 1976 edition when they lifted their only continental trophy.
On the hand, Benin, who qualified from a difficult group, were able to score two goals against Ghana and trouble Cameroon, the defending champions. Though are winless in their 12 AFCON games. If they do not win against Morocco, the Squirrels will become the team who have played the most games in the tournament without winning once.
Benin has kept a clean sheet in each of their last two games, after failing to do so in their first 10 in the tournament.
Both teams have a player to watch in the upcoming fixture. For Benin Mama Seibou was effective from a combative perspective in midfield during the Cameroon match making a team-high three tackles, two interceptions and he also gained possession five times. Benin will need similar doggedness off the ball again tonight,
Yet to really hit the heights expected of him, Hakim Ziyech will surely be eager to step up against Benin after his coach urged him to do better. Everyone knows just how good he is, though the Africa Cup of Nations is yet to see that this year.