Surprise packages Equatorial Guinea face off agaisnt Guinea in Sunday evening’s early kick-off AFCON round of 16 tie. Marc Strydom previews.
AFCON 2023
Match 39 – Equatorial Guinea v Guinea
Sunday 28 January | 19:00
This may appear to be one of the more low-key round of 16 clashes at AFCON, however, Equatorial Guinea have set the competition alight after topping a group containing Nigeria and Ivory Coast. Their reward for finishing top of Group A is a round-of-16 tie against Group C’s third-placed side, Guinea.
To win (90 mins)
Equatorial Guinea 51/20 | Draw 33/20 | Guinea 12/10
It has been a tournament to remember for the Central Africans of Equatorial Guinea. This is only their fourth appearance at the continental showpiece and have shocked Africa and the world with their performances so far. They have been a breath of fresh air at this tournament and have qualified for the round of 16 after finishing as winners of Group A.
They began their journey with a tough first fixture against Nigeria. It was a match of defence versus attack. The Nigerians dominated which was expected, but it was Ivan Salvador who got the first goal of the match for Equatorial Guinea in the 36th minute. A lapse of concentration and the Nigerians equalised two minutes later. The match was deadlocked and ended 1-1 which suited The Elephants more.
They went on to play Guinea-Bissau on matchday 2 where they dominated the game and showed true class. Emilio Nsue was the star of the show on the day and proved that age is just a number after the 34-year-old bagged a hat-trick in a 4-2 victory, becoming the oldest player to net a treble in the competition and the first to do so in 15 years.
They took on the host nation Ivory Coast in their final Group A fixture. This was a redemption match for Equatorial Guinea after they lost to Ivory Coast in the previous AFCON tournament that took place in Cameroon. Emilio Nsue again proved to be the main act and bagged a brace, Pablo Ganet and Jannick Buyla got a goal apiece to finish the Ivorians off in a shock 4-0 result.
This run has been monumental for the Central Africans, but they can’t bask in this euphoria for too long as they turn their attention to facing a strong Guinea outfit. Coach Juan Micha will know the importance of this fixture and will demand a massive performance from his team on the day. This could be their best opportunity to beat their previous record of finishing fourth in 2015 and that starts here with a victory against Guinea.
The road to the round of 16 was tough for Guinea. Three tough fixtures to get through in Group C and managed it well as they qualified as one of the best third-placed nations.
The National Elephants got their AFCON tournament off to a flyer in their first Group C match against Cameroon. It took 10 minutes to break the deadlock and to the surprise of the Cameroonians, Mohamed Bayo put Guinea ahead to go into half-time 1-0 up. Camerron came out second half a different outfit and was rewarded with a goal in the 51st minute by Frank Magri to level the game. The match finished 1-1, a positive result for Guinea.
Matchday 2 saw a dominant performance by Guinea as they took the game to Gambia. A total of (16) shots, six on target and 55% possession showed they have more to offer especially in the final third. Aguibou Camara’s second-half strike hit the back of the net to hand Guinea their first win at AFCON. The third and final match against the reigning champions Senegal was always going to be the hardest and, in the end, proved so after the Lions of Teranga beat them 2-0.
In the round of 16, there are no second chances. Head coach Kaba Diawara will need his best players to be in sync with each other as they look to put Equatorial Guinea to the sword. Former Liverpool midfielder and captain of Naby Keita will need to command the midfield and create scoring opportunities for Serhou Guirassy who is the star striker at German outfit Stuttgart, with 17 goals in 14 appearances this season.
Verdict: Equatorial Guinea 51/20
This is one you should be backing on price alone. For Guinea to be priced up as favourites after Equatorial Guinea’s performances so far is quite frankly scandalous. Get on Equatorial Guinea to march into the quarter-finals here!
