January 23, (THEWILL) – Burkina Faso advanced to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations with a 7-6 penalty shootout victory over Gabon after a 1-1 draw, with Ismahila Ouedraogo scoring the winning spot-kick.
After a thrilling late equaliser by the Panthers in regulation time, the game was taken to extra time, and an even more frantic shoot-out was ultimately won by the 22-year-old Ouedraogo.
In normal time, Issa Kabore was hauled down by Sidney Obissa in the 14th minute, prompting a penalty kick, which Bertrand Traore slammed against the crossbar for a disappointing miss.
10 minutes later, the Aston Villa man pounced on a through pass from Hassane Bande and slotted home off the post past the onrushing Jean Noel Amonome to atone for the earlier miss.
Gabon believed they had equalised four minutes before halftime when skipper Bruno Ecuele Manga’s long ball found Aaron-Salem Boupendza, who cut inside and finished well but was deemed offside.
Obissa was sent off in the 67th minute after receiving his second yellow card, but Gabon still forced extra time when Ecuele Manga headed in a 91st-minute corner, which was chalked up as an Adama Guira own goal after deflecting in off the Burkinabe midfielder.
After a 30-minute overtime period failed to separate the teams, the game was decided on penalties, with both teams scoring six of their initial eight attempts.
After Lloyd Palun’s eighth penalty was saved, Ismahila Ouedraogo put the game out of reach by sending Amonome the wrong way, securing Gabon’s quarter-final spot against either Nigeria or Tunisia next Saturday.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
