In a shocking turn of events at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Equatorial Guinea stunned the host nation Ivory Coast with a resounding 4-0 victory, securing their place in the Round of 16 and leaving Les Éléphants’ tournament hopes hanging by a thread.
Having suffered a defeat to Nigeria in their previous Group A match, Ivory Coast desperately needed a win to stay alive in the competition. The hosts dominated early territory, pressing forward and attempting to breach the Equatoguinean defense. However, their efforts proved futile until the 30th minute when Christian Kouamé set up Nicolas Pépé, only for goalkeeper Jesús Owono to thwart the chance.
The turning point came in the 42nd minute when Equatorial Guinea capitalized on Ivory Coast’s defensive lapse. Carlos Akapo penetrated the area, delivering a precise low pass to Emilio Nsue, who calmly slotted the ball into the net, shocking the home crowd.
Ivory Coast’s hopes of a comeback were dashed on the stroke of halftime when Ibrahim Sangaré’s apparent equalizer was disallowed due to an offside call against him. The second half saw the Ivory Coast desperately pushing forward, but their efforts were in vain. Jean-Philippe Krasso’s goal was ruled offside by VAR, and Equatorial Guinea doubled their lead with a stunning 25-yard free-kick from Pablo Ganet.
As Ivory Coast threw bodies forward in a last-ditch effort, Equatorial Guinea capitalized on the counter-attack. José Machín found Nsue in the box, and the forward netted his fifth goal of the tournament, further demoralizing the home team. Jannick Buyla added salt to the wounds by scoring Equatorial Guinea’s fourth, securing their place in the knockout stage.
Despite Nigeria’s win over Guinea-Bissau securing third place for Ivory Coast, their three points and a minus three goal difference may require miracles for them to progress in the tournament. Equatorial Guinea, on the other hand, celebrated a historic victory, continuing their impressive record of reaching the knockout stage in every AFCON they have featured in.
