Match of namesakes in the round of 16 of the African Cup of Nations. Equatorial Guinea, surprising leader of Group A, faces Guinea in their first knockout match of the competition. A confrontation between two selections that no one expects to see lift the trophy but which nevertheless have solid arguments and ambition.
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There will only be one “Guinea” left in the quarter-finals. Equatorial Guinea challenges its namesakes in the round of 16 of CAN 2024 at the Alassane Ouattara stadium in Ébimpé on Sunday January 27. An exciting duel between two selections full of ambition.
From now on, describing Equatorial Guinea’s performance as a “surprise” is professional misconduct. Since its first appearance at the African Cup in 2012, Nzalang has demonstrated formidable consistency: it has always reached at least the quarter-finals in four appearances.
Impressive Equatorial Guinea
In 2022, Algeria paid the price. This year, Juan Micha’s men sent a real message by finishing at the top of Group A, resisting Nigeria and crushing the host country 4-0. A real humiliation for Ivory Coast.
At this stage of the competition, Nzalang has the best attack with 9 goals scored in three matches. Their captain Emilio Nsue, although a modest player for CF Intercity, in the Spanish third division, is the current top scorer in the tournament with 5 goals.
“Emilio is a player who brings a lot to the team. He pushes, he’s a good person. He brings a lot, he has a winning mentality,” his coach Juan Micha said of him at a press conference.
The striker, who has played in 3 of his country’s 4 African Cups, comes to the tournament with a lot of ambition, both for himself and his team.
“I want to make history by becoming the first Equatorial Guinean top scorer in the competition,” he explained to France 24. “We are a group of brothers. We work hard game after game. We are one family and this is how we build our successes.”
Guinea wants to defeat the Indian sign
Guinea also arrived on the Coast full of ambition while in Group C, nicknamed “group of death”, along with Senegal, Cameroon and Gambia. Kaba Diawara’s men did the job well, qualifying after holding the Indomitable Lions to a draw at 10 and then defeating the Scorpions before rotating the squad for their final match against the African champion.
However, Guinea is a bit of the anti-Equatorial Guinea: Syli have lost every knockout match in their history, failing to score in the last four.
“We must not play tough matches. We must win them. We must win tomorrow,” insisted Kaba “coach” Diawara, team coach since 2019. “We have to put things in place to beat the Indian sign. It would be the first time that we have gone through a knockout round.”
To pass this milestone, Kaba Diawara can count on the return to form of key players: Naby Keita, Issiaga Sylla and Serhou Guirassy, all three of whom experienced injuries that impacted their start to the competition. On the other hand, he will have to find a solution in midfield, Ilaix Moriba and Abdoulaye Touré being too tight physically.
Guinea’s preparations were also disrupted by a strike over unpaid bonuses. The players did not train on Thursday before a solution was found.
“This is obviously not ideal for preparing for a historic round of 16 for the country. We are professionals. We will do what is necessary,” promises the coach. “We are on a mission. We came to collect the flag from the president. I have professionals in front of me. They know the responsibility we have.”
“We want to show that we are the best Guinea. It’s a derby against our cousins,” insisted “coach” Diawara.
Opposite, Equatorial Guinea refuses to take on the role of favorite for the confrontation: “We are not favorites. We always respect the opponent,” declared Juan Micha. “We are a humble family that works every day to improve. The results we have achieved do not mean that we are the best. We work every day to go step by step.”
Read alsoFind the final table
A step by step which only puts them four steps away from a final. But the winner of the duel will still have a lot to do: they will meet either DR Congo or Egypt.
