<!–
–>
Burkina Faso football players
The Burkina Faso national football team was the first to secure a place in the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Nations on Sunday. In the eighth final of the tournament in Cameroon, Burkina Faso defeated Gabon 2: 1 (1: 1, 0: 0, 7: 6 – 11ms). The decisive “pendulum” for the Burkina Faso team was realized by Ismail Uedraogo. Burkina Faso were given a gift! The ref dubiously awarded them a penalty 11 minutes into the match, which was neatly put away by Sidnija Obisas. However, Bertrāna Traores did not manage to connect with it, as his team mates had hoped, and the ball went out.
However, Traore made a mistake and scored 1: 0 in the 28th minute, beating Jean Noel Amonomi, the Gabonese goalkeeper who went a long way. Three minutes before the end of the first half, after Arona Bupendza’s shot, the ball went into the second goal, but due to the rear situation, the result remained unchanged.
Gabon’s national team’s chances of playing were reduced by Obisa, who was in the second yellow card in the middle of the second half and left his team in the minority. However, Adama Guira made a spectacular save. The ball hit the Gabonese goal in the 101st minute, but another back situation prevented Burkina Faso from regaining control. The team did not score an extra time and the first quarter finalist was determined in a series of 11 meters.
The first three strokes were flawlessly played by both teams, but in the fourth pass, Bupendz’s “pendulum” was repelled by Erve Kofi and Saidu Simpore hit the crossbar. The next three strokes made by each team reached their goal again, while in the eighth series, Gabonese Jannis N’Žakutu hit well above the goal, but Abdula Tapsoba’s shot was hit by Amonome. Lloyd Palun went on to miss the “fortress”, while Uedraogo beat him straight into the quarterfinals.
The Tunisian national football team also reached the quarterfinals on Sunday, despite the Covid-19 outbreak. In the eighth final, Tunisia beat Nigeria 1: 0 (0: 0). Due to the Covid-19 cases, the Tunisians could not be helped by several players and the team’s head coach Mondhers Kebaier. The only goal scored in the 47th minute when Yusef Msekni hit a long and strong shot on the ground, the Nigerian goalkeeper Madukam hit the ball, but not enough to hit it.
Msekni also contributed to Tunisia playing with one football player from the 66th minute. Alekss Ivobi had a hard time on the waterlogged pitch – his trademark technique was nowhere in sight today. Tunisia’s opponents in the quarterfinals will be Burkina Faso, who beat Gabon in the first match of the day in a series of post-match strokes.
The following pairs will be in the final eight: Senegal-Cape Verde, Mali-Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Gambia, Cameroon-Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire-Egypt, Morocco-Malawi. The final tournament features 24 national teams divided into six subgroups of four teams each. The two best teams in each sub-group, as well as the four best third place winners, entered the elimination tournament.
The African Football Confederation (CAF) has decided that the spread of Covid-19 will limit the number of fans in stadiums. Housewives in Cameroon can attend up to 80 percent of the stadium’s capacity, while other matches can be attended by up to 60 percent of the stadium’s capacity.
The African Cup of Nations (African Championship) takes place in Cameroon from 9 January to 6 February. The championship was supposed to take place last summer, but it was postponed to this winter and retained its title of “2021 Africa Cup of Nations.” Algeria won the final tournament in Egypt in 2019, beating Senegal 1: 0 in the title match.
