AFCON 2021 day twelve: Old champions are dead – we need new champions

Alright, this was the last day of the group stage. Another so-called favourite said goodbye to the tournament.

AFCON 2021: Nzalang Nacional strike Leone to book a place in the round of sixteen

AFCON 2021: Ivory Coast send reigning champions Algeria packing

AFCON 2021: Mali set up a knockout clash with Equatorial Guinea, Gambia and Tunisia also through

Now only the real ones remain. Let's take a look back on this wild Thursday before we start planning for the knockouts!

Loser of the day – Djamel Belmadi

The man who's been dubbed as 'Minister of Happiness' in Algeria not so long ago was anything but during his nation's disastrous picnic in Cameroon. Everyone makes mistakes, that's a given. Anyone could make one or two wrong moves. But to do everything wrong and spoil everything that was once good – that takes a special kind of talent. Belmadi has a fine crop of players at his disposal, but Algerians looked lost on the pitch in all three games – especially against Ivory Coast, the match that represented their last chance of turning the corner at this AFCON. To say that they weren't good enough would be far too kind. The champions are dead!

Goal of the day – Franck Kessie

AC Milan midfielder enjoyed a great day out against an awful Algeria team. His goal was a well-taken left-footed volley, but it was the team move that really made the goal. Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe was unselfish not to shoot but to cut the ball back for the advancing playmaker to steer in and make it 1-0 to the Elephants. This leads us to…

Hero of the day – Nicolas Pepe

It's been two and a half years since Arsenal paid the club record fee of $88 million to sign the Ivorian from LOSC Lille. In the meantime, he was mostly criticised for failing to live up to high expectations and the eye-watering transfer fee. But you cannot say that this boy hasn't got the skill. And you can't say that he isn't showing it in this AFCON. He provided a smooth assist for Kessie to open the scoring and he also scored two lovely goals to end the hopes of Riyad Mahrez and his teammates. Ivory Coast is definitely a team that could go all the way – especially if Pepe keeps playing like this.