Dango Ouattara’s goal on the stroke of halftime was enough for Burkina Faso to beat Tunisia 1-0 and progress to the semifinals of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021.
Ouattara who was sent off in the closing stages, scored on the stroke of halftime to give Kamou Malo’s side the victory against the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia, who came into the game all fired up after an impressive 1-0 win over Nigeria in the last 16.
The Stallions who were without their talisman and captain Bertrand Traore started brightly at the Omnisports Roumde stadium in Garoua.
Dango broke the deadlock with a neat finish from a swift counter attack. Ibrahim Toure played him through on goal and he cut inside before firing past Bechir.
The Tunisians returned after the break with more determination as they search for the equaliser.
The Burkinabe held on to progress to the semifinals of the tournament and they will meet the winner between Senegal and Equatorial Guinea.
In the other quarterfinal fixture between host Cameoon and Gambia, the Indomitable Lions progressed to the semis after Karl Toko-Ekambi’s double fired them to a 2-0 win over the Scorpions.
Lyon striker Toko-Ekambi scored two goals in the space of eight minutes at the start of the second half, leading to scenes of ecstatic celebration in Douala.
The Cameroonians had not taken to the field since Monday’s tragic crush prior to their last-16 game against the Comoros in Yaounde, a disaster which left eight dead and 38 injured.
The five-time champions had opened scoring five minutes into the second half, when right-back Collins Fai crossing and Toko-Ekambi nodding down into the far corner.
And on the 57th minute the crowd were on their feet again when the impressive Martin Hongla sent a low ball across goal for Toko-Ekambi to finish emphatically for his fifth goal at this AFCON.
