In the early morning of January 11, Beijing time, the first round of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations Group C, Gabon against the Comoros. Relying on Bupenza's goal, Gabon won the opening goal with a 1-0 victory over their opponents. Arsenal goalscorer Aubameyang was absent in this campaign, but Gabon ended the embarrassing record of seven consecutive years without a win at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Gabon's biggest star is Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 a few days ago and is still in quarantine. It is reported that Aubameyang was recruited because he went to the nightclub to party.
In the 15th minute, Ameka sent a direct pass from the rib position, Bupenza entered the box, shot with his left foot from a small angle, and Gabon kicked off to a 1-0 lead.
Bupenza was so excited after the goal that he staged a wonderful air flip to celebrate. In the 83rd minute, the Comoros equalized and the New Africa Cup of Nations celebrated wildly, with the goal cancelled. Three minutes later, Gabon also scored a goal, but it was also blown off by the referee.
After 90 minutes of fighting, Gabon finally defeated the Comoros 1-0 to win the opening of the African Cup of Nations. Gabon, meanwhile, ended three consecutive winless games.
Of course, this 1-0 match has a more significant significance, as Gabon ended a five-game winless streak at the Africa Cup of Nations, the last time dating back to January 18, 2015, when it won 2-0 over Burkina Faso. After 7 years of waiting, Gabon once again tasted victory on the stage of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Gabon is located in west Africa, close to the Atlantic Ocean, they are one of the few richer countries in Africa, with a population of only 2.22 million, which is considered a small country. However, the development of Gabonese football is relatively slow, currently only ranked 89th in the world, 15 places lower than our national football team.
Moreover, Gabon has never won the African Cup of Nations and has never participated in the World Cup. In the world of African football, Gabon has always been a supporting role.
As the saying goes, low is not low, Gabon is not strong, comoros is even weaker, this small African island state in the Indian Ocean, with an area of only 2236 square kilometers and a population of only 850,000. The Comoros joined FIFA in 2003 and FIFA in 2005, only today making their debut at the Africa Cup of Nations. Although the Comoros lost, they still made history.
It is worth mentioning that the upward momentum of Comoros football is obvious, and a group of players have stayed in the ocean and gilded. The 32-year-old Ben Nabhane plays for Red Star Belgrade and has made appearances and goals in both the Champions League and the Europa League. In addition to him, the Comoros has a group of players who play in Ligue 2 and Ligue 1.