At 3:00 Beijing time on January 27, the final match of the African Cup of Nations quarterfinals began, with the big dark horse Equatorial Guinea playing against Mali. The two teams exchanged white rolls for 120 minutes, and the penalty shootout Ovono became famous, saving two penalties from their opponents. In the end, Equatorial Guinea narrowly won 6-5 to get the last place.
Equatorial Guinea is located in West Africa and has a population of just 1.4 million. According to the latest EDITION OFFIFA rankings, Equatorial Guinea ranks 114th in the world, while Mali is 53rd, with a clear gap between the two sides.
In the 10th minute, Mohammed Kamala's header from inside the penalty area was cleared away and the result was on his arm, and the referee did not react.
In the 40th minute, Moussa Dumbia fell to the ground after entering the box, and the referee just began to award a penalty, but after watching VAR, the decision was changed, and Equatorial Guinea escaped the disaster.
In the 70th minute, Ibrahima Kone forced a breakthrough on the right and crossed the ball to saul Koko's arm, which the referee also ignored, and Equatorial Guinea was once again favored by the goddess of luck.
The two sides played 0-0 in regular time, and the extra time 30 minutes also did not make a difference, and the game entered a brutal penalty shootout. At this time, Equatorial Guinea goalkeeper Ovono became famous, and he made two saves in the 3rd and 6th rounds to help Equatorial Guinea win 6-5.
With the final whistle blowing and equatorial Guinea rushing into the pitch to lift Ovono aloft, the 2001-born genius will be the national hero.
Equatorial Guinea is completely on fire, and this fish-belly team has become a super dark horse. In the group stage, Equatorial Guinea beat defending champions Algeria and now knocked Mali to the ground, winning three consecutive games at the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time.
Since 2009, Equatorial Guinea has played Mali for the fourth time, losing all three of the previous three times, but tonight won the upset, defeating Mali for the first time and completing a 13-year revenge.
In fact, Mali has two Premier League stars, Djenevero and Bisuma, and Amado Heidara and Samaseku are playing in the Bundesliga, they were originally the more favored side, and they were tragically counterattacked, unfortunately missing the top 8.
With Equatorial Guinea advancing, the Africa Cup of Nations Quarterfinals were all born, and the quarter-final matchup was also released. Top half, Burkina Faso vs Tunisia, Senegal vs Equatorial Guinea. Lower half, Gambia vs Cameroon, Egypt vs Morocco.