the round of 16 The specific match-ups involving the third-placed teams depended on which four third-placed teams qualified for the round of 16: Knockout stage In the knockout stage, extra time and a penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary, except for the third place match, where a direct penalty shoot-out, without any extra time, was used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Article 75). Bracket Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Third place play-off Final Statistics Goalscorers Broadcasting Below is the list of the 2021 AFCON broadcasting rights: Controversies Tunisia vs. Mali refereeing In the first match of Group F between Tunisia and Mali, Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe ended the match in the 85th minute before changing his mind. He then signalled the end of the match in the 89th minute without calculating overtime, which would have been significant due to the large number of changes (9 changes between the two teams) and double verification of the video assistant referee. However, the referee announced the return of the match after 25 minutes of stopping to complete 3 minutes, with the Tunisian team refusing to complete it. A forensic report stated that Sikazwe suffered heat stroke, which contributed to his mishandling of the match. Mauritanian national anthem Before the second match of Group F between Mauritania and Gambia, the old Mauritanian national anthem was played three times; the stadium announcer said that the Mauritanian players would sing the anthem themselves, but a third failed attempt was soon cut off after the old anthem of the country was played again. Buea shooting In Buea, in the Southwest Region of Cameroon, gunfire broke out between the Cameroon Armed Forces and gunmen. The shooting is believed to have been between members of the Cameroon Army, deployed in large numbers during the competition, and Ambazonian separatist fighters, this incident is part of the Anglophone Crisis that has been raging since 2017 in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon. Cameroon fans stampede Before the fourth match in the knockout stage between hosts Cameroon and the Comoros, which took place on 24 January 2022 at the Olembe Stadium, a stampede broke out among the Cameroonian fans. Eight deaths were recorded: two women and four men, all in their thirties, in addition to two children. The ministry indicated that about 50 people were injured in the stampede, including two people with multiple injuries