Equatorial Guinea and the DR Congo both won.
January 31, 2015
Tunisia and 2015 Africa Cup of Nations hosts Equatorial Guinea played out a fairly tepid affair - at least, until the final 20 minutes of the game. After Felipe Ovono had tipped Ahmed Akaichi's rasping shot over, Akaichi latched onto a cross and finished smartly to give Tunisia the lead.
Equatorial Guinea were perhaps hard done by as Tunisia's physical nature regularly went unnoticed and unpunished by referee Rajindraparsad Seechurn. In the 91st minute though, Seechurn did not miss the challenge from Tunisian defender Ali Maaloul on Ivan Bolado in the area, and deemed it a foul. Javier Balboa converted the penalty to send the stadium into delirious cheers and the game, after a number of disbelieving protests from the Tunisian players, into extra time.
The bad mood between the two sides carried on into extra time, but the hosts had clearly been lifted by their late equalizer. Ivan Bolado had a shot blocked, but then Javier Balboa cast his magic on the game once more, curling a 20-yard free kick on the edge of the area into the top corner.
With the home crowd roaring and time ticking down, Tunisia were struggling. Maaloul curled a long-range free kick towards goal, but Ovono made a smart save. The keeper then repeated the feat with three minutes of extra time left, clinging on to Ferjani Sassi's header.
In an astonishing game, Equatorial Guinea began time wasting as disappointingly as Tunisia had done near the end of regular time. It proved enough though as the hosts progressed in the most dramatic and remarkable fashion possible to the semifinals of the tournament.
DR Congo turn it around to beat neighbors
Their opponents will be the Democratic Republic of Congo after two goals from Dieumerci Mbokani helped complete a remarkable comeback for DR Congo as they beat Congo 4-2 in an exciting African Nations Cup quarter-final. With the score goalless at the break, few predicted that a second half would have blown open with six goals.
Congo went 2-0 after Ferebory Dore and Thievy Bifouma scored two goals inside a seven-minute spell, but DR Congo responded with three goals in 16 minutes. Mbokani pulled one back before Jeremy Bokila equalized as the game entered its final quarter of an hour. 'The Leopards' took the lead nine minutes from time before Mbokani's second in added time sealed the DR Congo's first win of the 2015 tournament.
On Sunday, the other two quarterfinals see Ghana play Guinea and Ivory Coast take on Algeria.
jh/apc (Reuters, dpa)