Gabon, Tunisia reach quarterfinals ‘We’re out to win our group’
MALABO — The African Nations Cup provided a double helping of last-minute drama on Friday as Tunisia beat Niger 2-1 and co-hosts Gabon stunned Morocco 3-2 to reach the quarterfinals.
Substitute Bruno Zita Mbanangoye curled in an exquisite free kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time to give Gabon a shock 3-2 win over Morocco, eliminating one of the pre-tournament favourites.
The victory sparked wild celebrations in the Gabonese capital of Libreville.
Tunisia's win also came from a substitute as Issam Jemaa gave them a 2-1 triumph over Niger who were knocked out.
Tunisia and Gabon each have six points from two games in Group C while Morocco and Niger are pointless.
Despite missing big guns such as Nigeria, Cameroon and Egypt, the tournament is turning into one of the liveliest in recent years and has yet to produce a one-sided match.
Equatorial Guinea, the other co-hosts, qualified in similarly dramatic circumstances on Wednesday, a 94th-minute goal giving them a 2-1 win over Senegal and a place in the last eight.
The dullest football has come from Ivory Coast who did the absolute minimum to win their opening games against Sudan and Burkina Faso.
In the second game of Friday's double bill, Houcine Kharja gave Morocco a 24thminute lead, which they kept until an astonishing last 15 minutes.
Just as he did in their 2-0 win over Niger, Gabon's inspirational striker Pierre-emerick Aubameyang scored one goal and created the second.
The Mohican-sporting St Etienne player rifled in an unstoppable volley to equalise in the 77th minute and two minutes later set up Daniel Cousin to score with a clinical finish.
The former Rangers, Hull City, Larissa and Le Mens player collected the ball with his back to goal, spun and placed his shot just inside the far post, prompting some celebrating fans to run on to the running track around the pitch. The stadium was in raptures until Morocco, coached by former Belgium defender Eric Gerets, were awarded a penalty for handball against Charly Moussono in the 89th minute and Kharja converted for his second goal of the game.
It was not over as Dinamo Minsk midfielder Mbanangoye's free kick curled over the wall and inside the near post to clinch the game and send Gabon to the last eight for only the second time.
It also provided some poetic justice as the foul was awarded for a dreadful tackle by Mehdi Benatia who escaped with a yellow card when he should have been sent off.
The opening match quickly came to life with two goals in the opening seven minutes, one of them sublime and the other bizarre.
Tunisia's left winger Youssef Msakni dribbled past four defenders before placing the ball past goalkeeper Daouda Kassaly after four minutes.
Niger were soon level when a long clearance into the Tunisia penalty area dropped with awkward back spin, fooling keeper Aymen Mathlouthi who was distracted by an attempt from Moussa Maazou
LIBREVILLE — Tunisia will be going all out to defeat co-hosts Gabon in order to win their group and stay in Libreville at the Africa Cup of Nations, national team captain Karim Haggui said.
The north Africans, who beat Niger 2-1, and Gabon, who won 3-2 against Morocco in a dramatic game became the third and fourth teams to qualify for the knock-out stages of the showpiece of African football.
The two teams clash in their group C match in Franceville, Gabon on Tuesday, and the defender, who plays his club football in the Bundesliga for Hanover, said they were eager to win.
"The third match is very
to slap the ball which bounced on to the head of William Tonji Ngounou and into an empty net.
"It was important for us to our first goal of the tournament," said the journeyman
important for us, not only to get through to the next round, but also because we want to stay in Libreville for the next rounds, which the group winner does," Haggui said.
"If you win the group, you will stay there until the final." The winner of the group would not only stay in Gabon's capital but also avoid a potential clash against tournament favourites Ghana, who are expected to win Group D.
"It would be good to avoid Ghana, even though the other teams are also strong," Haggui said.
The 28-year-old does not see Tunisia as one of the favourites to lift the trophy at the end of the January 21-February 12 tournament, which is also being
striker who plays in the Swedish third division.
The chances continued to flow, both teams hitting the woodwork, before Jemaa won it on the stroke of fulltime after cutting inside two defenders
co-hosted Guinea.
"It is better for us to play from match to match and not be one of the favourites. We do not want to be favourites and simply see where we finish at the end of the tournament," he said.
The team needed a last-gasp goal from Issam Jemaa to overcome a gallant Niger side, and Haggui said he was not surprised their opponents had put up such a strong resistance.
"They are a good side and beat Egypt and South Africa in the qualifiers. But we believed in ourselves and simply kept on playing.
I play in Germany, so we never give up," he said. — dpa
by
Equatorial
to power the ball home from close range.
Ghana, who scraped past Botswana 1-0 in their opening game, face Mali in Franceville while Botswana play Guinea, both in Group D. — Reuters