Algeria's Aymen Mahious and Razafindranaivo Koloina of Madagascar are in a tight race to be crowned highest goal scorer at the 2022 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN).
25-year-old USM Algiers forward Mahious and Koloina, 22, have both scored three goals each in the tournament reserved for players plying their trade in their country.
They both are tied in a neck and neck race for the award but face competition from others who have two goals and are still in the running with two games left for each side.
The seventh edition of the tournament enters it's business end on Tuesday with the Golden Boot winner as unclear as the team to clinch the title in Algeria.
The semi-final match pitting Madagascar against Senegal has been billed as the Koloina against Pape Diallo match-up, with the two still in the running of the golden boota nd acting as star players for their teams.
Koloina's team-mate Randriantsiferana Olivier with two goals is below him and chances of him snapping up the prestigious accolade with two games to go, remains possible.
There is a queue of others on two goals who are automatically out of the golden boot race having exited the tournament.
Laurindo Aurelio "Depu" and Mohamed Saltou are the other players on two goals but both cannot catch up to the three-goal bar set by Aymen Mahious and Koloina, thus keeping them off the conversation.
In the other semi-final game, Niger are up against hosts Algeria. However, it will take an incredible solo effort for a Niger player to reach or surpass the three goals mark.
Ousseini Badamassi, Imarana Seyni and Boubacar Haïnikoye have been the architect of all of the Menas' three goals in three games played prior to the semi-finals.
Hoicine Dehiri of Algeria and Cliver Rafanomezantsoa are two players in the semi-finals with a goal each.
Soufiane Rahimi and Ayoub El Kaabi were the competition's last two golden boot winners, but with Morocco out, there is set to be another winner from a different nation.
Former winners of this award have gone on to have stellar careers in and out of the continent as well as with their senior national teams.
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Former winners of the TotalEnergies CHAN Golden Boot
CHAN 2022 (Algeria) : ?
CHAN 2020 (Cameroon)
Soufiane Rahimi (5 goals, Morocco)
CHAN 2018 (Morocco)
Ayoub El Kaabi (9 goals, Morocco)
CHAN 2016 (Rwanda)
Elia Meshack (4 goals, DR Congo)
Chisom Chikatara ( 4 goals, Nigeria)
Ahmed Akaïchi ( 4 goals, Tunisia)
CHAN 2014 (South Africa)
Bernard Parker (4 goals, South Africa)
CHAN 2011 (Sudan)
El Arbi Hillel Soudani (3 goals, Algeria)
Myron Shongwe (3 goals, South Africa)
Mudather Karika ( 3 goals, Sudan)
Zouheir Dhaouadi (3 goals, Tunisia)
Salema Kasdaoui (3 goals, Tunisia)
2009 (Cote D'Ivoire)
Given Singuluma (5 goals, Zambia)