26.01.2015
Bata Stadium erupted with joy after the National Nzalang made the second goal of the match, assuring the team’s ascension to the quarter-final rounds of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Equatorial Guinea has had a fairly steady performance over the first two matches of the Cup, with both games ending in a draw. As such, securing a victory over Gabon was the only remaining opportunity for the national team to qualify for the quarter-finals.
With the first goal scored by Javier Balboa, after his penalty kick in the match’s 55th minute, the tension began to rise giving the players the necessary confidence to maintain their intensity until the end of the match. When the bleachers flared up again with the second goal by Iban El Salvador in the 86th minute, finishing off a goal attempt by captain Emilio Nsue, Equatorial Guinea already had its foot secured in the next round of the tournament.
In Ebebiyin, Congo scored 2-1 against Burkina Faso, thus qualifying as the other Group A participant in the quarter-finals.
Image: Eurosport.com