Africa Cup of Nations 1972
| Africa Cup of Nations 1972 | |
|---|---|
| African Cup of Nations 1972 | |
| Number of nations | 8 (of 26 applicants) |
| African champions |
 VR Congo (1st title)
|
| venue |
.svg){kind=small} Cameroon
|
| Opening game | February 23, 1972 |
| Endgame | March 5th 1972 |
| Games | 16 |
| Gates | 53 (⌀: 3.31 per game) |
| Top scorer |
 Salif Keïta (5 goals)
|
The 1972 Africa Cup ( English : African Cup of Nations , French : Coupe d'Afrique des Nations ) was the eighth game of the African continental football championship and took place in Cameroon from February 23 to March 5 . Organized by the African continental football association Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF), eight teams from Cameroon , Kenya , VR Congo , Mali , Morocco , Sudan , Togo and Zaire took part.
As in previous years, there was also a qualification to reduce the field of participants with a record number of 26 applicants to eight finalists, whereby the host Cameroon and the defending champion Sudan were automatically qualified.
As usual, the game was played with two groups of four teams each. The two best teams in each group then played the tournament winner from the semi-finals in the knockout system . The final round matches were played in the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium (38,720 seats) in Yaoundé and in the Stade de la Réunification (30,000 seats) in Douala.
The People's Republic of the Congo won the tournament and was the first time Africa champions in football.
Venues 1972 in Cameroon |
The tournament
Group A
| Pl. | country | Sp. | S. | U | N | Gates | Diff. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
Cameroon
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5: 2 | +3 | 5: 1 |
| 2. |
Mali
|
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5: 5 | ± 0 | 3: 3 |
| 3. |
 Kenya
|
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3: 4 | −1 | 2: 4 |
| 4th |
 Togo
|
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4: 6 | −2 | 2: 4 |
Except for the first day of play, all games in the context of double events in Yaoundé.
| February 23 | |||
| Cameroon | - | Kenya | 2: 1 (2: 1) |
| February 24th | |||
| Mali | - | Togo | 3: 3 (1: 1) |
| February 26th | |||
| Cameroon | - | Togo | 2: 0 (0: 0) |
| Kenya | - | Mali | 1: 1 (0: 1) |
| February 28 | |||
| Togo | - | Kenya | 1: 1 (0: 1) |
| Mali | - | Cameroon | 1: 1 (1: 0) |
Group B
| Pl. | country | Sp. | S. | U | N | Gates | Diff. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
 Zaire
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4: 2 | +2 | 4: 2 |
| 2. |
VR Congo *
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5: 5 | ± 0 | 3: 3 |
| 3. |
 Morocco
|
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3: 3 | ± 0 | 3: 3 |
| 4th |
 Sudan
|
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4: 6 | −2 | 2: 4 |
All games in the context of double events in Douala.
| February 25 | |||
| VR Congo | - | Morocco | 1: 1 (1: 1) |
| Sudan | - | Zaire | 1: 1 (0: 0) |
| 27th of February | |||
| Morocco | - | Sudan | 1: 1 (1: 0) |
| Zaire | - | VR Congo | 2: 0 (1: 0) |
| February 29th | |||
| VR Congo | - | Sudan | 4: 2 (2: 2) |
| Morocco | - | Zaire | 1: 1 (1: 1) |
Semifinals
| March 2nd in Yaoundé | |||
|
Cameroon |
- |
VR Congo
|
0: 1 (0: 1) |
| March 2nd in Douala | |||
|
Zaire |
- |
Mali
|
3: 4 n.V. (3: 3, 1: 1) |
3rd place match
| March 4th in Yaoundé | |||
|
Cameroon
|
- |
Zaire |
5: 2 (5: 2) |
final
| March 5th in Yaoundé | |||
|
VR Congo
|
- |
Mali |
3: 2 (0: 1) |
Best goal scorers
| rank | player | Gates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Salif Keita
|
5 |
| 2 |
Jean Michael M'Bono
|
4th |
|
Edmond Apéti ( Dr. Kaolo )
|
||
| 4th |
Ahmed Abdullah Faras
|
3 |
|
Adelard Maku Mayanga
|
||
|
Jean Kalala N'Tumba
|