Equatorial Guinea defeated host nation Ivory Coast 4-0 in their Africa Cup of Nations match, leaving the Elephants with an unexpected fight for survival in the group stages.
The National Thunder are now atop Group A after their thrilling victory, which was made possible by braces from Emilio Nsue, a spectacular 25-yard free kick from Pablo Ganet, and a late goal from Yannick Buyla.
The results of other games will determine the Ivorians’ fate; they were greatly favored to win and could potentially be eliminated from the competition. They had plenty of chances to score, but they couldn’t turn them into goals, which let Equatorial Guinea take advantage of their errors and win the first game in history.
When the final whistle blew, the home crowd was left in shock and rage, with some players emotional and others being taunted by the supporters. This unexpected outcome has left Group A wide open and prompted concerns about Ivory Coast’s potential to advance further in the competition.
The pressure is now on the Elephants to perform well in their remaining games and guarantee a spot in the knockout stages, as the top two teams in each group advance automatically, and the next four best finishers also advance.
