The Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 begins on Sunday, following a group stage which provided two major shocks, history on the field and several off-pitch talking points.
The tournament has come to life following a slow start, which saw nine 1-0s and two goalless draws in the first round of group matches.
Here BBC Sport Africa assesses the opening 12 days of action in Cameroon.
Favourites emerge?
Two teams have stood out so far: the hosts and Nigeria.
The Super Eagles are the only side with a 100% record, a statistic made all the more surprising by the fact they dismissed long-serving boss Gernot Rohr just four weeks before the tournament.
Yet the side have gelled well under interim coach Augustine Eguavoen, dominating seven-time champions Egypt in their opening game and going on to beat Sudan and Guinea-Bissau comfortably.
After an underwhelming World Cup qualifying campaign so far, the West Africans are a side to watch.
Cameroon, meanwhile, enjoyed fine wins over Burkina Faso and Ethiopia to top Group A, with skipper Vincent Aboubakar netting five goals to equal a tournament scoring record for the Indomitable Lions.
Heavyweights have contrasting fortunes
The biggest storyline on the pitch has been the unceremonious exit of defending champions Algeria.
The North Africans drew 0-0 with Sierra Leone in their opener, then lost against Equatorial Guinea before being soundly beaten by Ivory Coast.
Four-time champions Ghana were also dumped out, finishing bottom of Group B after a stunning 3-2 defeat by debutants Comoros.
Senegal, among the pre-tournament favourites, finished top of Group B despite only managing to score one goal.
The Teranga Lions were without goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and captain Kalidou Koulibaly for their first two games because of Covid-19, and their performances will surely improve.
Another side struggling to find the back of the net have been Egypt.
Mohamed Salah’s Pharaohs drew a blank as they lost to Nigeria and then could only beat Guinea-Bissau and Sudan 1-0 – although they hit the woodwork three times against the Djurtus.
Equatorial Guinea belied being 85 places below Algeria in the world rankings to end their 35-match unbeaten run which stretched back to October 2018.
Then came Comoros’s first Afcon goals and maiden win over 10-man Ghana, giving the side ranked 132nd in the world a famous scalp which ultimately saw them qualify for the last 16 as one of the best third-placed teams.
The Gambia, the other first-timers in Cameroon, qualified for the last 16 after winning their opening game against Mauritania, grabbing a late draw against Mali and also beating Tunisia.
Malawi also made the knockout stages with some enterprising football, being narrowly beaten by Guinea before beating Zimbabwe and securing a draw with Senegal.