[ 2015-02-01 ]

Balboa's Tunisian knockout overshadowed by a rocky referee
For a long time, it looked like Ahmed Akaichi
would prove the match-winner in Saturday night's
Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final between
Tunisia and Equatorial Guinea. Sadly, it was
referee Rajindraparsad Seechurn who ultimately
decided the outcome of a dramatic encounter.

Akaichi had broken the deadlock with just 20
minutes remaining in Batha. Just like their hosts,
Tunisia had not been playing well; whether they
had merited their goal was open to debate. What
was beyond dispute, though, was that they did not
deserve to see their place in the last four taken
away from them by a scandalous refereeing
decision.

Hamza Mathlouthi did nothing more than make
minimal contact with Ivan Bolado when the pair
crossed paths in the area in the dying seconds -
and yet Seechurn inexplicably pointed to the spot
after the Equatorial Guinea forward desperately
flung himself to the floor.

It was a shocking decision. And a crucial one,
with Javier Balboa coolly levelling matters from
the spot - no mean feat given the weight of
responsibility on his shoulders - before then
bending a brilliant free kick into the top corner
in extra-time to earn Equatorial Guinea a famous
2-1 victory.

There will be an inquest. And there should be. The
manner of Tunisia's defeat left a bitter taste in
the mouth. But hopefully it won't linger too long.
It would be a shame if Equatorial Guinea's
remarkable achievement in reaching the last four
is overshadowed completely.

After all, there had been little to choose between
the sides, with Equatorial Guinea surprisingly
proving a match for Tunisia, the second strongest
team in Africa according to Fifa's world ranking.

In that context, this was a remarkable performance
from the National Thunder. But then, we shouldn't
have expected any less, as this has been a
remarkable tournament from the hosts' perspective.
Indeed, it's worth remembering that they came into
this tournament ranked 118th in the world.

Furthermore, after being selected as stand-in
hosts following the withdrawal of Morocco, the
Equatorial Guinea football federation (FEGUIFUT)
then dramatically decided to fire Andoni
Goikoetxea as national team coach just three weeks
before their opening game against Congo.

The Spaniard's successor, Esteban Becker, has
previous in the Africa Cup of Nations, having led
Equatorial Guinea to victory in the 2012 women's
tournament, but it was a remarkable change all the
same. And yet it paid off - and how.

Few neutrals expected the Argentine to lead the
hosts to a win, let alone a quarter-final - and
yet they negotiated the group stage without losing
a single game, drawing 1-1 with Congo and then 0-0
with Burkina Faso before a historic 2-0 win over
Gabon took them into the last eight.

Felipe Ovono was key to the victory over
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Co., ensuring his
status as one of the stars of the tournament.
Captain Emilio Nsue has offered energy and quality
in abundance up front, picking up two man of the
match awards, while Javier Balboa has proven a
constant threat out wide - as well as a nerveless
penalty-taker and dead-ball specialist. However,
it feels wrong to pick out individuals when this
Equatorial Guinea are all about the collective.

Becker has managed to turn the hosts into a
wonderfully organised counterattacking unit, while
at the same time fostering a fantastic team
spirit, as so wonderfully illustrated by the
spontaneous outbreak of dancing that preceded the
final whistle in the win over Gabon.

And that is the truly beautiful thing about
Becker's side: they have managed to spark an
outbreak of joy throughout a nation. Hopefully,
that will not be forgotten amidst all of the
controversy surrounding Balbao's spot-kick.

Equatorial Guinea's remarkable run should have
come to an end on Saturday night but the referee
effectively ruled otherwise. However, the hosts'
continued involvement will only further alleviate
the suffering of a people that have been subjected
to true injustice for many, many years. And that,
surely, is no bad thing?

Source - Goal.com

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