Ivory Coast Explode! AFCON Hosts ‘Thrashed’ By Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea defeated Ivory Coast 4-0 on Monday to move to the AFCON knockouts as Group A winners – at the expense of the hosts.

Ivory Coast appeared to be the more in control of the game early on and had several opportunities to take the lead, but Nicolas Pepe, a former Arsenal player, was careless in front of goal.

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Emilio Nsue, the captain of Equatorial Guinea, scored the game’s winning goal in the 42nd minute to end the tie. After a daring single run into the penalty area, Carlos Akapo squarely passed the ball to his captain inside the six-yard box, and Nsue scored with ease.

The hosts were unlucky to see two goals disallowed either side of half time after VAR checks on both occasions, as scorers Ibrahim Sangare and Jean-Philippe Krasso were both found to be in an offside position.

As Ivory Coast pushed for an equaliser, the National Thunder then scored two goals in quick succession to seal the fate of the game. In the 73rd minute, Pablo Ganet found the back of the net with a stunning curling free-kick nearly 20 yards from from goal. Two minutes later, Nsue completed his brace.

Second-half substitute Jannick Buyla then scored a fourth and final goal in the 88th minute to complete the rout against the Elephants, in what will surely go down as one of the biggest shocks in tournament history.

The game’s most noteworthy player was definitely Equatorial Guinea captain Nsue, who recorded a brace in the historic victory. Up to his injury in the 78th minute, the striker actively participated in the opposition’s box and led from the front.

Willy Boly, a defender for Nottingham Forest, had a terrible night as the Ivory Coast defence gave up four goals. Throughout the game, the seasoned defender was frequently caught off guard, giving the opposition’s attackers too much room in their box. He was frequently unsteady when clearing his lines and embodied the nerves that seemed to consume the hosts as they totally collapsed, shattering their dreams of moving on to the next round.

Juan Micha‘s team won Group A and secured their spot in the knockout round with a thrilling victory on Monday. On January 28, they will play in the round of sixteen. Conversely, the hosts are essentially out of the running because they have to finish among the top four third-placed countries. With only three points and a goal differential of minus three, it seems improbable that this will happen.