ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Madagascar, debutants of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), made a surprising 2-0 win over giants Nigeria here on Sunday.
Madagascar's midfielder Lalaina Nomenjanahary opened the scoring in the 13th minute and Carolus Andriamatsinoro scored the second in the 53rd minute, although Nigeria boasted 62 percent of the ball possession.
Madagascar and Nigeria advanced to the round of 16 from Group B where Guinea have a chance for joining them as one of the best third-placed finishers for having four points. Burundi, the fourth of Group B, were defeated in all their three matches.
AFCON 2019 features 24 teams instead of 16 for the first time in its history.
The round of 16 will witness the top two of the six groups and the best four third-placed finishers.
The 32nd AFCON kicked off in Egypt on June 21 and will close on July 19.