AFCON 2023 Golden Boot Race: Can Ademola Lookman catch Emilio Nsue

The much-anticipated Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 kicked off on January 13, and as the battles on the pitch intensify, so does the race for the coveted Golden Boot award.

Of the top-nine names on the goalscorers chart, only Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman is still in the competition at the sem-final stage and has two games to score two goals to catch current top-scorer Emilio Nsue of Equatorial Guinea.

Nsue was eliminated from the tournament in the last-16 but had scored five times already to surprisingly lead the goal-scoring chart and poised to claim the top-scorer award except players in the last-4 pull some magical performances to draw level or beat his mark.

At the moment, all eyes are on Super Eagles of Nigeria forward, Ademola Lookman as he prepares to face South Africa in the semi-final on Wednesday, Febuary 7, 2024.

With his current form, it is very likely that the Atalanta man will get two or more goals in the remaining games, despite not playing as the main striker, with reigning CAF Player of the Year definitely going to remain Nigeria’s top-striker despite scoring just one goal in the tournament.

SUMMARY OF THE AFCON GOAL-SCORERS CHART AFTER THE LAST-8

1. Emilio Nsue (Equatorial Guinea) – 5 goals:
   • Nsue, the 34-year-old CF Intercity forward, displayed his goal-scoring prowess with a hat-trick against Guinea-Bissau and added two more goals in Equatorial Guinea’s surprising 4-0 victory over Ivory Coast.
2. Mostafa Mohamed (Egypt) – 4 goals:
   • The Egypt striker scored two goals in Group B matches and added a third in a 2-2 draw with Cape Verde, helping Egypt secure a spot in the Round of 16. Mohamed’s fourth goal came in a 1-1 draw with DR Congo, although Egypt eventually lost on penalties.
3. Gelson Dala (Angola) – 4 goals:
   • Dala contributed a brace in the thrilling 3-2 victory over Mauritania and struck again with two goals in the 3-0 Round of 16 win against Namibia.
4. Ademola Lookman (Nigeria) – 3 goals:
   • Lookman played a crucial role in Nigeria’s journey, scoring a brace in the 2-0 win against Cameroon in the Round of 16 and adding another goal in the quarter-final, securing a 1-0 victory over Angola.
5. Mohamed Bayo (Guinea) – 3 goals:
   • Despite Guinea’s elimination by DR Congo in the quarter-final, Bayo managed to score three goals in the tournament.
6. Cristovao ‘Mabululu’ Paciencia (Angola) – 3 goals:
   • Mabululu found the net against Algeria and continued his goal-scoring form in the final Group D match against Burkina Faso, helping his team top the group. He scored another goal in the 3-0 Round of 16 win over Namibia.
7. Baghdad Bounedjah (Algeria) – 3 goals:
   • The experienced forward scored in the 1-1 draw with Angola and netted a brace in a dramatic 2-2 draw against Burkina Faso.
8. Lassine Sinayoko (Mali) – 3 goals:
   • Sinayoko scored against South Africa and replicated his goal-scoring prowess in the 1-1 Group E draw with Tunisia. He added a third goal in Mali’s 2-1 victory over Burkina Faso in the quarter-final.
9. Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso) – 3 goals:
   • Traore scored two goals in matchday one and two, respectively, and added his third in Burkina Faso’s 2-1 loss to Mali in the Round of 16.

READ ALSO:  Moses Simon prefers team victory to Individual awards