From our special correspondent in Abidjan – Guinea beat Equatorial Guinea 1-0 on Sunday at the Ébimpé stadium in Abidjan in the round of 16 of the African Cup of Nations (CAN). This is the first time she has won a knockout match.
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Guinea has gotten rid of an old curse. Until this Sunday, January 28, 2024, she had never managed to win a direct elimination match in the African Cup. It is now done, after a victory snatched from Equatorial Guinea in the very last seconds (1-0).
For this first match which does not concern Côte d’Ivoire, the Ébimpé stadium still displays a nice atmosphere, in the absence of a full enclosure. The Guineans came in numbers to push their players, while Nzalang can count on its faithful, already very noisy during Group A matches.
An exciting atmosphere which, however, does not excite the players. On the ground, a false rhythm quickly sets in. The usual observation round drags on, with the two teams refusing to reveal each other at the risk of compromising their chances. Equatorial Guinea has possession, Guinea has the chances, notably thanks to an active but alone Ibrahim Diakité.
The match gets heated just before halftime
As even the most fervent supporters begin to struggle to suppress their yawns, the match heats up just before halftime. Iban Salvador Edu is the victim of a blow to the face from Julian Jeanvier. True to his reputation, the Equato-Guinean added more, heating up the spirits in both camps (42nd).
On the free kick to follow, Nzalang attempts a clever combination to place Pablo Ganet in a shooting position. His shot fails, repelled by the defense. Which launches an express counterattack, which Syli plays very poorly despite the 2 against 1 offered (44th).
Driven by the chants of the Guinean supporters, Aguibou Camara takes charge of an interesting free kick to the left of the opposing area. His first attempt ends in the wall, his second is repelled by the defense (45th+1).
Goal denied for Guinea
The five minutes before the break set the tone for the return from the locker room. The captain of Nzalang, Emilio Nsue, stands out from the start (47th). Then, Mory Konaté believes he opens the score by taking a free kick from Sekou Sylla, but the linesman raises his flag (53rd).
Guinea gradually gained the upper hand over its opponent and quickly benefited from a numerical advantage after the expulsion of Federico Bikoro. The referee shows him the way to the locker room after a very nasty gesture on Mohamed Bayo (55th).
Coach Kaba Diawara takes the opportunity to launch Serhou Guirassy, who signals himself from the start with a deflection for Bayo in the open area. In a duel with a defender, the latter gets out of the situation and manages to hit close to the goal, but it is blocked (62nd).
Syli thinks he has the match in hand, but on a harmless free kick, Edu collapses in the area. The referee took several minutes before checking the video and making the logical decision: penalty. Emilio Nsue has the opportunity to consolidate his status as top scorer in the CAN. But it was a bolt from the blue for the Éclair national: it hit the outgoing post despite a perfect counterattack (68th).
Guinea is avoiding the worst and now has all the cards in hand to avoid yet another failure in a crucial African Cup match. It remains to deceive Owono, who boxes a powerful helmet blow from Guirassy (82nd). Diakité in turn stumbles upon the doorman. The Guineans lack the realism to kill the match, even if their opponents start to stick out their tongues.
But Kaba Diawara’s men believe in it and with the support of their public, Mohamed Bayo sends Guinea into the quarter-final in the very last seconds, with a header at the near post (90th + 8, 1-0)
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On his bench, “Coach” Diawara’s joy is intense: his men have finally defeated the Indian sign of the cleaver match. Ambitious, he will certainly want to dream more during the quarter which will pit him against the winner of DR Congo – Egypt.
