AFCON 2023 Day 4 Review: Penalty decider as Stallions escape ‘upset fever’ in Bouake
(Made In Sport Africa) – Burkina Faso seemed the only powerhouse side to escape the ‘upset fever’ that has been ravaging the AFCON veterans in the Africa Cup of Nations 2023. The Stallions scraped a 1 – 0 win over Mauritania in stoppage time, as captain Bertrand Traore notched a 96th minute penalty to secure all three points at the Stade Bouake.
The match was a closely-fought encounter, as the attackers from both sides spurned various chances to put their teams in front at different stages of the match. Keepers Herve Koffi and Boubacar Niasse produced reflexive saves in the first half to keep the scores level, as the defences worked overtime to keep the attacks from lacking too much threat.
Bertrand Traore came on in the 73rd minute, and duly converted the spot-kick in stoppage time, scraping a win from a match that could have gone either way. That penalty saw the Stallions win an opening fixture for the first time in their African Cup of Nations history, as two other powerhouse AFCON teams fell to underdog treatment later in the day.
The Eagles of Tunisia produced a fine display at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly stadium, but that was not enough for a win, as the Brave Warriors of Namibia secured maximum points with a single goal, seemingly against the run of play. Namibia had come calling earlier in the second half, as Montassar Talbi managed to divert Peter Shalulile’s home-bound tap-in wide to keep the game level.
The Brave Warriors left their winner till very late, soiling Tunisia’s arguably solid defensive record, as an expertly whipped cross from Bethuel Muzeu found the unmarked Deon Hotto in the six-yard box. The forward made no mistake with his header, powering it beyond Bechir Ben Said to hand Namibia a first AFCON victory and added advantage going forward.
The upsets kept flooding from then on, as the Eagles of Mali treated the Bafana Bafana to a 2 – 0 victory. South Africa’s Percy Tau missed out on a golden chance to put his side ahead in the 18th minute, placing his spot-kick wide and high, much to the relief of the Mali fans and players.
It took the Eagles only six minutes in the second half to knock the wind out of the South Africans’ sails, as captain Hamari Traore tucked in a rebound from a freekick in the 60th minute to hand the Eagles the win. Lassine Sinayoko held off his marker enough to poke his finish past Ronwen Williams in the 66th minute, putting his name on the scoresheet and doubling the advantage for the Eagles. It was a dull affair from then on, as the Bafana Bafana seemed incapable of creating any goal despite the time left.
Today’s clashes in the #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 did not disappoint 🍿 pic.twitter.com/IghUSdUzdo
— CAF (@CAF_Online) January 17, 2024
We anticipated a revolt from the underdogs in the AFCON 2023, but nothing on this scale. The giants are falling, powerhouses are trembling, and maybe it is time for the underdogs to ascend the big stages. Predictions might be a little premature at this stage, as the AFCON 2023 certainly has more drama to deliver. Watch out as Morocco, Tanzania, DR Congo, and Zambia complete matchday 1 action at the Stade de San Pedro, Bolivia.
