The first round of 16 fixtures from the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) saw the elimination of two of the favourites to win the tournament.
Follow Us
Tunisia and Burkina Faso surprised everyone by ensuring they advanced to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarterfinals on Sunday (January 24).
Burkina Faso beat Gabon on penalties after the game ended 1-1 in extra time. And Tunisia squeezed a narrow 1-0 win over African heavyweights Nigeria to advance to the next round.
Of the two, it is safe to say that Nigeria’s exit is the more surprising. They are a superpower of African football, always up and about in not only the AFCON but the World Cup too.
What’s more, they were in top form going into this game. They had won all three of their group games and looked the team to beat.
But they were unable to play their free-flowing game against Tunisia. Some of it was down to their opponents’ putting in a solid defensive shift.
The aim for Tunisia was simple: defend hard and look for chances on the counterattack. This led to a stalemate in the first half but two minutes into the second half, they got their reward.
Skipper Youssef Msakni had the ball outside the penalty area, from where he powered home a low shot. This goal was enough to decide the match in Tunisia’s favour.
It did not help Nigeria that they were soon reduced to 10 men. Alex Iwobi was sent off after a VAR check, despite originally only getting a booking for a dangerous tackle.
The win was a massive boost for Tunisia, who were without their coach due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the camp. What’s more, they were without 7 players who were forced to isolate.
For the Burkinabe, it was about holding their nerve in the penalty shootout. Although it is worth noting that they could have finished the game in regulation time itself.
Bertrand Traore scored the opener after running onto a nice pass from Dango Ouattara in the 28th minute. However, he did also miss a penalty about 11 minutes prior to that.
THE VISION ?
THE PASS ?#TeamBurkinaFaso’s Dango Ouattara wins our #AssistOfTheDay with this superb outside of the boot effort ?#TotalEnergiesAFCON2021 | #AFCON2021 | @binance | @BinanceAfrica pic.twitter.com/9ezAfrTtW5— #TotalEnergiesAFCON2021 ? (@CAF_Online) January 24, 2022
His effort was well-hit but met the crossbar, making this the ninth penalty overall missed in the tournament.
It seemed as if that effort was enough to ensure their passage into the next round. But a last-gasp push in the final 10 minutes saw Gabon rewarded towards the end of the match.
Bruno Ecuele Manga powered a deflected header home, with the goal eventually credited as a Adama Guira own goal. Extra-time came and went with neither side able to find a second.
The penalty shootout lasted long; a total of 18 kicks were taken before the match was finally settled. Substitute Ismahila Ouedraogo was the man who netted the winning spot kick for Burkina Faso.
