On January 24, Beijing time, the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals kicked off. In the first half, Bertrand Traoré scored after giving up a penalty, Obiza received a red card in the second half, Gunnar swung himself in the 91st minute, and Gabon drew with Burkina Faso in regular time. In the penalty shootout, Gabon lost 6-7 and was eliminated 7-8 on aggregate.
In the 17th minute, Cabore forced his way into the penalty area on the right and Obisa brought him down, who received a yellow card + penalty package.
However, Bertrand Traore's penalty hit the crossbar and popped up, and Gabon escaped.
In the 27th minute, Faisal Tavara sent a scalpel-like straight plug, Bertrand Traore made up for it, and the single knife push was awarded, and Gabon fell behind 0-1.
In the 41st minute, Bupenza shook off angle inside the penalty area and equalised with a right-footed blast, but the offside was ruled invalid. In the 66th minute, Obiza brought down his opponent for a tactical foul and received his second yellow card of the game, with Gabon playing one less man.
In the 91st minute, Gabon won a corner kick, Equile Manga flicked his head and scored into the net, hitting Gunnar and making it 1-1, and the two sides went into extra time.
In the 100th minute, Tapsoba scored a goal, and Gabon fell behind 1-2, but the score was 1-1 because his teammates were offside! The two sides fought for 120 minutes without winning or losing, and the game entered a brutal penalty shootout.
On the Burkina Faso side, Simpore and Tapsoba lost a penalty, while Gabon was even more outrageous, with Canga, Ngakutu and Palen missing. Ismasila Ouedraogo then hammered the nail on and Gabon fell 6-7, losing 7-8 on aggregate.
Gabon is located in West Africa, with a population of only 2.22 million, and FIFA ranks 89th, which is not as good as the national football team. Gabon's biggest player was Aubameyang, who played for Arsenal, but he contracted covid-19 three days before the start of the tournament, which then caused heart problems and left the team early without playing.
After losing the top card, Gabon scored 5 points in the group stage with 1 win and 2 draws, and advanced to the round of 16 as the second in the group, becoming one of the strong dark horses. In fact Gabon is really tenacious, in the second game of the group stage, they drew with Ghana in the 88th minute. The quarter-finals against Burkina Faso were drawn in the last minute, stubbornly dragging the game into extra time and even penalty shootouts.
Regrettably, however, Gabon was unable to go any further and could only accept a exit from the round of 16. In the history of the African Cup of Nations, Gabon's best record was in the quarter-finals in 1996, and 26 years later, they have failed to replicate miracles.