By James Robert Kayindi
It was quite entertaining as group A seeds battled for slots in the quarter finals at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations that is ongoing in Equatorial Guinea. Second-half strikes from Thievy Bifouma and Fabrice Ondama helped Congo carry the day as they surged to a 2-1 victory over Burkina Faso at Estadio de Ebebiyin.
Burkina Faso’s striker Aristide Bance was one of the double substitutions made by head coach Paul Put in the 59th minute in a bid to exhaust all options as his side trailed a goal down. In the 86th minute, dangerous substitute Bance struck an equalizer to give some hope to the Stallions but their hope was short lived when Congo responded in the 87th minute through Ondama to reclaim their lead. Bifouma had earlier given Congo the lead in the 52nd minute.
The Congo head coach Claude Le Roy once again proved his worth as he guided the fourth different side to the quarter finals of the continental tournament having had stints with the Black Stars of Ghana, DR Congo among others.
The 2-1 victory saw Congo progress to the quarter finals of the 30th Edition of the Africa Cup of Nations as group A leaders with 7points having drawn one-all in their opener against the hosts Equatorial Guinea, beat Gabon by 1-0 in their second game and finally stunning Burkina Faso who are now packing their bags to head back home.
Hosts Equatorial Guinea were not left out on the quarter final occasion as they condemned Gabon to a 2-0 defeat. After a barren first half, Javier Balboa and Iban Salvador struck to help the host nation secure a place in the quarterfinals.
A well taken penalty by Javier Balboa in the 55th minute put Equatorial Guinea in the lead. With 4 minutes left on the clock, Iban Salvador added insult to injury when he struck the second for the hosts sinking Gabon in the process. The hosts finished second of the group with 5 points after two draws against Congo on opening day and another against Burkina Faso in their second game before pipping Gabon yesterday.
Group A table standings:
1. Congo – 7 points
2. Equatorial Guinea – 5 points
3. Gabon – 3 points
4. Burkina Faso – 1 point
Email Robert: Robert.k.circles@gmail.com
