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Memorable Moments On The Road To The AFCON Semi-Finals

Memorable Moments On The Road To The AFCON Semi-Finals

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The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Equatorial Guinea has just wrapped up its quarterfinal round, and four teams remain to play in the semi-finals later this week. The tournament has been packed with exciting matches and controversies, both on and off the field, commanding attention around the world. Here are 12 memorable moments on the road to the AFCON semi-finals 2015.

Sources: TheGuardian.com, Metro.co.uk, SkySports.com, Kickoff.com, DailyMail.co.uk, Sportal.com.au, SBNation.com, InsidetheGames.biz, Goal.com, SoccerWay.com, BBC.com, EuroSport.com

StarAfrica.com
StarAfrica.com

Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, and DRC advanced to semi-finals

After beating out Guinea, Algeria, Tunisia, and Congo, the semi-finals will match up the DRC v. Côte d’Ivoire on Feb. 4 and Ghana v. Equatorial Guinea on Feb. 5. The winners of the two matches will meet in the Africa Cup of Nations final on Feb. 9, while the losers will play the third place final match on Feb. 8.

DailyMail.co.uk
DailyMail.co.uk

Wilfried Bony demonstrated why he is Côte d’Ivoire’s new star

In Côte d’Ivoire’s quarter-final match against Algeria, Manchester City’s forward Wilfried Bony demonstrated his abilities when he headed in not one, but two spectacular goals – one in each half – to give Les Éléphants the 3-1 victory. The goals, at the 26th- and 68th-minute marks, set up Côte d’Ivoire to proceed to the semi-finals. In the wake of Didier Drogba’s international retirement, the team is thrilled to have Bony stepping up to the plate. Coach Herve Renard said, “I think the Ivory Coast is very lucky to have a big centre-forward like Wilfried Bony just behind Didier Drogba, because I think you know very well the statistic – he was the best scorer in England in 2014, so I think that explains everything.”

Source: DailyMail.co.uk

Futaa.com
Futaa.com

Gervinho returned from a 2-match ban to solidify Côte d’Ivoire’s victory

Ivorian forward Gervinho received a two-match ban after being sent off in the team’s group stage match against Guinea, where he struck Guinean defender Naby Keïta in the second half. In response to his actions, Gervinho said, “I would like to apologize to the Ivory Coast nation, my teammates, the fans and the Africa Nations Cup organizers for this gesture of anger. It is not like me and does not have its place on a football pitch.” In his return to the tournament in the quarterfinals, he added a third goal for Les Éléphants during injury time to secure their 3-1 victory over Algeria.

Source: TheGuardian.com

KingFut.com
KingFut.com

Algerian Capt. Madjid Bougherra retired from international football

Following his team’s loss to Côte d’Ivoire in the quarter-finals and subsequent elimination from the tournament, Algerian captain Madjid Bougherra announced he would be retiring from international football. He told reporters, “That was my last official match. In football, you have to turn the page. I thank the coach for trusting me, I thank the national team…With (Coach Christian) Gourcuff, we have a future in my view. We have many regrets about losing the match (against the Ivorians), we deserved better. We had opportunities, we unfortunately could not capitalize. This team is young with an average age of 23 to 24 years and it will return for many Nations Cups in the future.” Bougherra currently plays central defender and midfielder for the Foujairah club in the United Arab Emirates.

Source: EuroSport.com

DailyMail.co.uk
DailyMail.co.uk

Christian Atsu scored a wonder goal for Ghana

Ghana’s Christian Atsu scored twice for Ghana in the team’s 3-0 victory over Guinea, the second being a phenomenal strike over Guinea keeper Naby Yattara. The Everton striker hasn’t seen much playing time in England, but showed his skills in his first international start of his career and will undoubtedly continue to play a critical role for the Black Stars for the rest of the tournament. Atsu’s second goal is already being considered a goal-of-the-tournament contender.

DailyMail.co.uk
DailyMail.co.uk

Guinea disappointed, despite promises to bring glory to their struggling nation

As Guinea continues to battle the Ebola virus, the country’s football team attempted to bring inspiration and glory to Guineans during the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. Unfortunately, the National Elephant came up short, only reaching the quarterfinals through the random procedure of drawing lots and failing to score a goal in their match against Ghana. The team’s defense was sorely lacking, usual offensive threats such as Ibrahima Traore and Kevin Constant were lackluster, and goalie Naby Yattara was sent off in stoppage time for a flying kick against Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan.

SkySports.com
SkySports.com

Equatorial Guinea won in a surprise upset against Tunisia

The tiny host nation was originally ruled out of the tournament in July 2014 for fielding an ineligible player, but was re-invited to participate after taking on hosting responsibilities from Morocco at the last minute. But in a controversial quarterfinal match against Tunisia, Nzalang Nacional’s Javier Balboa scored a last-minute goal to send the match into extra time. He stepped up again with a free kick in the first half of extra time, curling the ball into the top corner to give his team the 2-1 lead and eventual victory. Equatorial Guinea is ranked 118th in the world by FIFA, but the team’s coach, Esteban Becker, has always been confident about their chances, saying, “We have the will to win and we like the challenge in front of us. We are hungry for victory.”

Source: Edition.CNN.com

BBC.co.uk
BBC.co.uk

Tunisian players tried to attack the referee

Following their match against Equatorial Guinea, Tunisian players and officials chased Mauritian referee Seechum Rajindraparsad towards the tunnel before being stopped by security forces. Rajindraparsad had awarded Equatorial Guinea the controversial free kick in the first half of extra time after Ivan Bolado went down under minimal contact from Hamza Mathlouthi, allowing the hosts to take the 2-1 lead. The game degenerated as punches were thrown behind the referees’ backs and injuries faked. Rajindraparsad blew the final whistle 15 seconds before the end, further angering Tunisia. Les Aigles de Carthage were ranked 96 spots above Equatorial Guinea in FIFA’s world rankings, making the match a huge upset.

Kickoff.com
Kickoff.com

DRC shocked with a stunning comeback against Congo

At halftime, the DRC-Congo match was tied at 0-0, before Congo came out with two quick goals in the second half, at the 55th- and 62nd-minute marks. The DRC refused to back down, and went on to retaliate with four goals of their own from Loteteka Bokila, Joek Kimuaki Mpela, and two from Dieudonne Mbokani, winning the match and progressing to the semi-finals.

CompleteSportsNigeria.com
CompleteSportsNigeria.com

Congo coach Claude Le Roy continued complaining about the tournament

After being dubbed “Le Whinge” for complaining about the subpar tournament conditions in Equatorial Guinea, the Congo coach continued to express dissatisfaction following his team’s exit. Though he attributed the team’s loss to becoming complacent after taking a two-goal lead, he placed the blame for one of DRC’s goals on the assistant referee. “The assistant referee delayed our substitution after one of my players was injured and we wanted to replace him and it was at that time that they got one of their goals,” he said. “So we played 10 against 11 and that was when we conceded a goal because an official was not diligent enough.”

Source: Sportal.com.au

DailyMail.co.uk
DailyMail.co.uk

A DRC player was hit by a medical truck

While being treated for injury during the DRC-Congo quarterfinal match-up, DRC defender Gabriel Zakuani was hit by a medical truck on the field. While he was lying on the ground, the medical truck sent to help him off the field applied brakes too late, bumping into Zakuani as he sat on a stretcher. Luckily, the incident did make the injuries worse. He sat out the rest of the match, and Zakuani is expected to recover in time for the semi-finals. After the incident, he tweeted, “What can I say! Started for my country, we are in the semi finals of #afcon2015 got ran over by the buggy when injured lol, only in Africa.”

Source: Metro.co.uk

TelesurTV.net
TelesurTV.net

Many bemoaned the predictability of the teams in the semi-finals

Despite the dramatic fashion in which many of the quarterfinal matches finished, some have criticized the outcome, calling it par for the course. Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire were widely considered tournament favorites from the beginning, and few are surprised to see them progress to the semi-finals. Similarly, DRC is one of the continent’s best up-and coming teams, and Equatorial Guinea benefited from a weak draw and benevolent officiating – something that host nations often receive. However, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire have not met in the Africa Cup of Nations final since 1992, in which Les Éléphants trumped the Black Stars in a 12-round penalty shootout, meaning that, should the semi-finals see the giants progress, it won’t be a repeat seen in recent history.