Burkina Faso players celebrate on the Garoua field while the Tunisians stare into space. The Stallions, deprived of their suspended captain Bertrand Traoré (Aston Villa), created a small sensation by winning (1-0).
In Tunisia, it is customary to say that the national team surprises when it is not expected and disappoints when it is expected. The adage has again been verified. After their feat against Nigeria, the Carthage Eagles were surprised by Burkina Faso with a goal just before halftime (45th + 2).
Burkina Faso, finalist in 2013, qualifies for the 4th time in its history for the semi-finals of the CAN and brings a little balm to the heart of a country hit by a coup. He will meet the winner of the match Senegal – Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday in the semi-finals
What you must remember
Tunisia woke up too late. In the first period, Burkina had been more sharp with a pressing which hampered the Tunisians. At the Carthage Eagles, many players were coming out of Covid-19 and others still seemed to have the efforts of the Nigeria match in their legs. This was felt in their explosiveness.
Tunisia is punished on a counter by Dango Ouattara, the 19-year-old striker from Lorient (11 L1 games this season), during additional time (1-0, 45th + 2). But it is only the logical sanction of a first period where the Burkinabés had worried Béchir Ben Saïd in particular by Guira (16th), Bayala (24th) or Ouattara (40th).
At the break, Mondher Kebaier, the coach of Tunisia, also recovered from the Covid after missing two games, modified his system (4-4-2) and made two changes (entries from Maaloul and Sliti). Tunisia is much better in the game, but it is Ben Saïd who saves the 2-0 on a strike from Bayala (51st).
After a stoppage by Koffi on a free kick from Maaloul (68th), the match became more and more tense. The referee consults the VAR twice, he does not whistle anything on the big tackle in the surface of Soumaila Ouattara on Wahbi Khazri (77th) who seemed to deserve a penalty, but expels the striker Dango Ouattara for a nudge (82nd). Even at ten against eleven, Burkina Faso defended well and preserved their goal in advance.
Player: Hervé Koffi
The 25-year-old goalkeeper from Charleroi, who passed through Lille, had a solid game in goal. He was reassuring in his outings and pulled out the right stop, at the height of Tunisia’s domination, on a free kick from Maaloul (67th).
The number: 3
This is the third time in a CAN that Burkina Faso has eliminated Tunisia in the quarter-finals. The Stallions had qualified ahead of the Carthage Eagles in the two previous confrontations. First on penalties 8-7 in 1998 then a 2-0 victory in 2017. The curse continues for Tunisia.
The reaction
“I dedicate this victory to the people of Burkina Faso. As the team has shown, he must not let go,” Kamou Malo, Burkina Faso coach