14 March 1974 - More Braces Than An Orthodontist

On 14 March 1974, Zaire won their second Africa Cup of Nations, beating Zambia 2-0 in a replay.

Zaire won their first cup in 1968 when, playing under the name Congo-Kinshasa, they beat Ghana 1-0. A first-round exit followed in 1970, then a fourth-place finish in 1972.

In 1974, they reached the final in large part due to midfielder Ndaye Mulamba (pictured), who scored five goals in the earlier rounds, including the match-winner in their 3-2 victory over Egypt in the semifinals. He had a pair of goals in that game, making it his second brace of the tournament. He got a third in the originally-scheduled final against Zambia, played at the International Stadium in Cairo on 12 March. It ended 2-2 after extra time to force a replay.

When the teams reconvened in Cairo two days later, Mulamba got his fourth brace, scoring in the 30th and 76th minutes to lead Zaire to a 2-0 win. His 9-goal total was the best of the tournament.

Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have never returned to the final, though they did finish in third place in 1998.

30 January 2008 - Eto'o Takes The ACN Scoring Title

On 30 January 2008, Samuel Eto'o scored twice in Cameroon's win over Sudan in the African Cup of Nations. In the process, he became the tournament's all-time leading scorer.

The striker had just recovered from a lengthy injury the previous month, but took little time to recover his form, scoring both of Cameroon's goals (including one penalty) in their tournament-opening loss to Egypt on 22 January, then converting another penalty in their 5-1 win over Zambia four days later. That was his fourteenth career goal in the competition, bringing him level with Côte d'Ivoire's Laurent Pokou for the top-scorer honor.

Cameroon returned to the pitch on 30 January for their last group-stage match against Sudan. A crowd of approximately 10,000 watched as Eto'o took sole possession of the scoring title with a 27th-minute penalty that put Cameroon up 1-0. An own goal by Sudan in the 33rd minute extended the lead to 2-0, then Eto'o added another for good measure in the 90th minute to push the all-time record to sixteen and end the day as a 3-0 win.

Unfortunately for Eto'o, it was his last goal in that year's tournament as Cameroon fell to Egypt in the final. But he returned in 2010 and scored twice more to set the current record of eighteen. He was denied the opportunity to extend it even further in 2012, as Cameroon did not qualify for that year's edition.

27 April 1993 - The Zambian Air Disaster

On 27 April 1993, a plane carrying the Zambian national team crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, killing everyone on board.

The plane, a military DHC-5 Buffalo, was carrying the team to Senegal for a World Cup qualifying match and had just stopped in Libreville, Gabon to refuel. Shortly after take-off, it lost power and crashed into the water.

The crash killed all thirty passengers, including 18 members of the Zambia national team, their manager and support staff. The only team member not killed in the crash was their captain, Kalusha Bwalya, who was in the Netherlands playing for PSV Eindhoven and had made separate flight arrangements to get to Senegal.

The Football Association of Zambia chose to continue its efforts to qualify for the 1994 World Cup and quickly formed a new squad around Bwalya. They fell one point short of qualification, however, losing 1-0 to Morocco in the final match when a draw would have put them through.

The new team found success the following year, advancing to the 1994 African Nations Cup Final against Nigeria. They took an early lead in the 3rd minute and, though they eventually lost 2-1, returned home as national heroes.

14 March 1974 - More Braces Than An Orthodontist

On 14 March 1974, Zaire won their second African Cup of Nations, beating Zambia 2-0 in a replay.

Zaire won their first cup in 1968 when, playing under the name Congo-Kinshasa, they beat Ghana 1-0. A first-round exit followed in 1970, then a fourth-place finish in 1972.

In 1974, they reached the final in large part due to midfielder Ndaye Mulamba (pictured), who scored five goals in the earlier rounds, including the match-winner in their 3-2 victory over Egypt in the semifinals. He had a pair of goals in that game, making it his second brace of the tournament. He got a third in the originally-scheduled final against Zambia, played at the International Stadium in Cairo on 12 March. It ended 2-2 after extra time to force a replay.

When the teams reconvened in Cairo two days later, Mulamba got his fourth brace, scoring in the 30th and 76th minutes to lead Zaire to a 2-0 win. His 9-goal total was the best of the tournament.

Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have never returned to the final, though they did finish in third place in 1998.

30 January 2008 - Eto'o Takes The Title

On 30 January 2008, Samuel Eto'o scored twice in Cameroon's win over Sudan in the African Cup of Nations. In the process, he became the tournament's all-time leading scorer.

The striker had just recovered from a lengthy injury the previous month, but took little time to recover his form, scoring both of Cameroon's goals (including one penalty) in their tournament-opening loss to Egypt on 22 January, then converting another penalty in their 5-1 win over Zambia four days later. That was his fourteenth career goal in the competition, bringing him level with Côte d'Ivoire's Laurent Pokou for the top-scorer honor.

Cameroon returned to the pitch on 30 January for their last group-stage match against Sudan. A crowd of approximately 10,000 watched as Eto'o took sole possession of the scoring title with a 27th-minute penalty that put Cameroon up 1-0. An own goal by Sudan in the 33rd minute extended the lead to 2-0, then Eto'o added another for good measure in the 90th minute to push the all-time record to sixteen and end the day as a 3-0 win.

Unfortunately for Eto'o, it was his last goal in that year's tournament as Cameroon fell to Egypt in the final. But he returned in 2010 and scored twice more to set the current record of eighteen. He was denied the opportunity to extend it even further in 2012, as Cameroon did not qualify for that year's edition.

27 April 1993 - The Zambian Air Disaster

On 27 April 1993, a plane carrying the Zambian national team crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, killing everyone on board.

The plane, a military DHC-5 Buffalo, was carrying the team to Senegal for a World Cup qualifying match and had just stopped in Libreville, Gabon to refuel. Shortly after take-off, it lost power and crashed into the water.

The crash killed all thirty passengers, including 18 members of the Zambia national team, their manager and support staff. The only team member not killed in the crash was their captain, Kalusha Bwalya, who was in the Netherlands playing for PSV Eindhoven and had made separate flight arrangements to get to Senegal.

The Football Association of Zambia chose to continue its efforts to qualify for the 1994 World Cup and quickly formed a new squad around Bwalya. They fell one point short of qualification, however, losing 1-0 to Morocco in the final match when a draw would have put them through.

The new team found success the following year, advancing to the 1994 African Nations Cup Final against Nigeria. They took an early lead in the 3rd minute and, though they eventually lost 2-1, returned home as national heroes.