E. Guinea fans call for ‘Caf help’ as hosts stare at elimination

A majority of Equatorial Guinea residents remain optimistic their national football team will secure passage to the knockout stages of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations, despite a slow start to the campaign.

The Nzalang Nacional (or National Thunder) will commence its final group contest against fellow pool A strugglers Gabon in Bata on Sunday evening while faced with a must win situation, as a consequence of far less than a ground shaking start in the opening two engagements versus Congo and Burkina Faso, ties that both ended in stalemates.

This form is in contrast to that of three years ago, when Equatorial Guinea breezed into the quarter finals of this competition it coincidentally co hosted with Gabon at the time with a game to spare from their pool, buoyed by wins against Libya and Senegal in its first two games.

At the moment, Esteban Becker’s charges have only managed to impress in patches, whilst accumulating only two points from as many games, and will commence the final group deciding game against neighbours Gabon staring at elimination from the tourney should they fail to secure a win. Unbeaten Congo will play bottom placed Burkina Faso in the other group game to be staged simultaneously in Ebebiyin.

The home supporters aren’t, however, entertaining the thought of an early exit from this party as yet.
“That (failure to qualify for the group stages) won’t happen. God loves this country and will come to our rescue at the time of need. You just wait and see,” A female fan sitter next to me at the Estadio de Bata told me on Wednesday.

A fellow scribe from the tiny oil rich central African nation, however, had a more interesting view of how his team would qualify.

(The tournament organisers) CAF should now come to our rescue (and help us qualify) because we helped them when they did not have a host to this tournament,” he told me, without clarifying what sort of help he or the team needed, before further claiming the tournament will “collapse” without the host nation at such an early stage.

Granted, local supporters here have backed the national team during the entirety of its participation in this event thus far, with the outfit’s jersey colours of red and white almost a constant fixture among at least every one in three residents both in Bata and Malabo Cities.

Still, sellers of national regalia including flags, and scarfs, alongside face painters and alcohol traders have posted booming business by normal standards, with the fear amongst most of them that an embarrassing group stage elimination for their local hereos would spell an end to interest in their services from a majority of their customers.

Maintaining rythm
The fanatics have also stormed the 35,700 seater refurbished Estadio de Bata in their thousands to support their team, as was the case again during the team’s duel against the Burkinabe Stallions on Wednesday, with an estimated 2 km stretch of motor vehicle traffic snarl ups witnessed in some roads leading to and from the match venue, forcing a heavy police presence to control the human and vehicle traffic.

Demand also outclassed supply within the facility with security detail forced to turn away thousands of fans with match tickets from the match venue which was filled to capacity about 30 minutes to the game against Burkina Faso.

The home team will however have to significantly up its game against second placed Gabon who occupy the final qualification position, if only appease the fans and securing one of the two quarter final slots on offer from this group.

“We have to maintain our rhythm in attack for longer spells against them (Gabon), we should have more of the ball and even when we don’t, we shouldn’t let them have it in dangerous places” Middlesbrough attacker Emilio Nsue, scorer of the team’s only goal of the tournament thus far against Congo, explained at the post match presser after the Burkina Faso game.

Nsue will however require much more support in attack from his midfielders and especially the likes of Javier Balboa and Ivory Bolado who both manage the creative department, if he is to deliver the much needed goals.

Congo lead the log standings in this group with four points, closely followed by Gabon on three, Equatorial Guinea has garnered two points while Burkina Faso, the tournament’s losing finalists only have a point to show for their efforts.
All the sides have played two games a piece.
Should any of the sides be tied on points after completion of the group games, then head to head and then goal difference, in that order, will be used to separate the qualified from eliminated team’s.

AFCON GROUP A STANDINGS
P W L D GF GA Pts
Congo 2 1 0 1 2 1 4
Gabon 2 1 1 0 2 1 3
Eq. Guinea 2 0 0 2 1 1 2
B. Faso 2 0 1 1 0 2 1