Burkina Faso produced one of the most dramatic turnarounds of the Africa Cup of Nations so far, scoring twice deep into stoppage time to defeat Equatorial Guinea 2–1 after appearing on the brink of a shock loss.
Reduced to 10 men early in the second half, Equatorial Guinea defended heroically and even took a late lead through Anieboh’s 85th-minute header, but Burkina Faso refused to accept defeat, equalising in the 95th minute before sealing victory at the death.
The first half ended goalless, with Burkina Faso enjoying the bulk of possession but failing to test goalkeeper Jesús Owono. Bertrand Traoré and Dango Ouattara found space in wide areas, yet clear chances were rare as Equatorial Guinea sat deep and crowded the final third.
The match turned decisively in Burkina Faso’s favour shortly after the restart when Equatorial Guinea defender Ndong was shown a straight red card following a VAR review for a clumsy challenge. With a numerical advantage for more than 40 minutes, Burkina Faso intensified the pressure, pushing almost every outfield player into attacking positions.
More Read
Despite the dominance, frustration grew. Headers from Dayo and Tapsoba drifted wide, Ouattara fired straight at the goalkeeper, and a goal from substitute Lassina Traoré was ruled out for offside after a lengthy VAR check. Equatorial Guinea slowed the tempo whenever possible, drawing fouls and running down the clock as the game entered its final stages.
Against the run of play, Equatorial Guinea struck first. From a corner on the left, Anieboh rose above his marker and powered a header into the top corner in the 85th minute, sending the Equatorial Guinea bench into celebration and leaving Burkina Faso staring at a damaging defeat.
Eight minutes of added time were announced, and Burkina Faso threw everything forward. Their persistence finally paid off in the 95th minute when a long throw caused chaos in the box. Ouattara was fouled as he challenged for the ball, but before the referee could stop play, substitute Minoungou reacted quickest to fire home the equaliser.
Moments later came the decisive blow. Another long throw was launched into the penalty area in the eighth minute of stoppage time, and this time Edmond Tapsoba rose highest to head home the winner, completing a remarkable comeback and sparking wild celebrations among the Burkina Faso players.
The final whistle followed soon after, confirming a result that had swung dramatically in the space of added time.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
