Burkina beats Gabon after one of the most attractive matches of the competition

There are those chocolate-colored sand beaches that seem to stretch on forever. These verdant hills – covered in an almost mystical mist – which seek to embrace the coastal city. And this new stadium which majestically forms the link between the Gulf of Biafra and the heights of Limbe. This English-speaking seaside town in the South-West region of Cameroon hosted, on Sunday January 23, at 5 p.m., the first meeting of the round of 16 of the African Cup of Nations (CAN), between Burkina Faso and Gabon, in merciless heat (32°C, 63% humidity). Probably one of the most enticing matches since the start of the tournament.

On a field that seemed parched in places, the two selections gave their all, until the end of exhaustion. Until the end of the 120 regulatory minutes. Until the end of the suspense. Until 9^and batter in stunning shots on goal. With 1-1 at the end of the match, Burkina Faso managed to win against the Gabonese by winning this endless session (7-6).

From the kick-off, the Gabonese Aaron Boupendza tries a vicious lobe of the central circle: opposite, the goalkeeper Kouakou Koffi was stretching from behind in his cages. The tone is set: no gift. Committed, sometimes tense, often messy in the game, the match was tough and physical: Rédouane Jiyed, the Moroccan referee, generously distributed yellow cards even to those who remained on the bench (six for Burkina Faso; seven for Gabon, plus a red).

Burkinabés remain focused

After a start to the game dominated by the Panthers, the Stallions came back to stop the advances of their opponents. A white wall formed in front of the Gabonese, unable to win the aerial duels. Nothing happens. And then, the Stallions get a penalty (14^and): Bertrand Traoré, the captain, fires a missile which crashes into Jean-Noël Amonome’s crossbar. Imperturbable. The Burkinabés, far from being destabilized by this missed goal opportunity, remain concentrated as ever.

And at the 28^and, everything changes. In front of the Burkinabe surface, Jim Emilien Allevinah made the wrong choice: instead of passing the leather back to a partner very close to him, he tried the blow with another further in the axis, the ball was intercepted. Dango Ouattara launches his captain in depth who, from the left, deceives the Gabonese goalkeeper, far from his cages. The Panthers may push, Burkina Faso holds; and even when they find the fault, goalkeeper Kouakou Koffi responds. Nothing happens.

The match gets carried away. Reduced to ten (since 67^and), the Panthers run after the ball. Dango Ouattara is twirling, the former Lyonnais Bertrand Traoré ensures the show with his dribbles and his shots. But Jean-Noël Amonome saves his team on several occasions: Burkina Faso could have taken off long ago. While the fourth referee has just announced three minutes of additional time, on a harmless corner, Adama Guira scores against his camp (91^and). The stadium – which filled up throughout the game – exploded, the Gabonese supporters found their voice and the players breathed new life. The arena is stunned by the sound of vuvuzelas. The atmosphere is electric.

End of course for Gabon

Another match begins. The Panthers are unleashed; yet the Burkinabés score. Once again, this goal is disallowed for offside. Earlier in the match, the Gabonese suffered the same fate. Finally, the two teams will have to decide for a penalty shootout. Eighteen penalties, two saves, a crossbar, two balls flying off into the dark sky of Limbé… Deliverance came through Ismahila Ouédraogo who converted the decisive shot on goal allowing the Stallions to qualify for the quarter-finals . A relief that appeases some supporters worried about rumors of a coup in their country that circulated during the day – denied by the government.

End of course, therefore for Gabon which experienced difficulties throughout the tournament: scandals around bonuses and departure from star, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Fans of the Panthers, who had traveled by bus from their country to hope “witness their victory”, will return empty-handed.

But besides that of Burkina, there was another victory in Limbé: the CAN held there as planned. Organizing matches in this corner of Cameroon was a safe bet for the authorities while a civil war has been opposing, since 2017, the army and the separatists of this English-speaking region. The latter had threatened the competition and certain teams. Exchanges of fire between soldiers and rebels even took place, on January 12, in Buea, capital of the English-speaking region of the Southwest, located not far from Limbe, injuring several people.

The journey between Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon, and Limbé, gives an idea of ​​the level of tension. At the exit of the big city, as soon as you cross the bridge over the Mungo, the hooded soldiers of the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR), submachine guns in hand, closely monitor this building and the bumpy road with almost search -vehicle systematics. For tens of kilometers, these armed agents watch the bitumen and the surrounding forest. In Limbe, they are at all intersections, on the roofs of houses under construction, on road walkways, in front of players’ hotels, everywhere.

This Sunday, January 23, it is 9:30 p.m. Silence has returned around the stadium. The last Burkinabe supporters take pictures to immortalize the moment. Their team will meet, on January 29 in Garoua, Tunisia in the quarter-finals which took out Nigeria (0-1), in a less crazy match. The poster is promising.