By Nick Ames
It says something for the haphazard nature of this Africa Cup of Nations that, sitting in the lobby of the Ghana team hotel in Malabo two days before the first semi-final takes place, there is still a lingering question in your mind as to where exactly the match will be.
Little about the competition has been as simple as meets the eye. It stems from the moment Morocco officially pulled out of its staging and Equatorial Guinea, this tiny petro-state, stepped in; you are constantly ready to be surprised so few eyebrows were raised when the two last-eight fixtures scheduled for remote Ebebiyin and Mongomo were moved to the bigger stadia in Malabo and Bata.
Murmurings on Monday have suggested that the semi-finals may be switched so that the host nation can play Ghana in the 37,000-capacity Estadio de Bata – a stronghold for them, to put it mildly – although there has been little sign of Ghanaians packing their bags for the mainland and Equatorial Guinea themselves have flatly denied that such a move is in the offing.
The real story, though, is that they are still involved in the competition at all. A country that rarely gets the chance to commune in the name of football will have a further opportunity on Thursday and, at 10.14pm on Saturday, the very thought seemed impossible. Then Esteban Becker’s team, so lively in the group stage but so well snuffed out by the practiced Tunisians, was awarded the most preposterous of penalties by Mauritian referee Rajindaparsad Seechurn and the tenor of the entire tournament was changed – perhaps irrevocably.
What happened subsequently has been well documented by now. Javier Balboa scored from the penalty spot under the most intense of pressure and then, even less predictably, won the match with a wonderful 25-yard free-kick. The stadium, whose acoustics have created a raucous atmosphere in each of Equatorial Guinea’s games, erupted and that did not only go for the home supporters.
The Tunisian bench was incandescent and then, at full-time, players and staff combined to chase Seechurn – who had to be protected by riot police – down the tunnel. It was the strangest and most discomfiting of finales to what had been a thoroughly underwhelming game until the penalty was awarded, and led to inevitable questions about the legitimacy of a thoroughly improbable win for the side ranked 118th in the world (Tunisia are ranked 22nd).
It did not stop Equatoguineans from reveling in the moment. Those catching flights from Bata’s small airport terminal early the next morning were greeted cheerfully by revelers who had clearly neither slept nor taken any time to sober up.
The party is in full swing and few cities can have seen a higher proportion of their inhabitants walking around in national team shirts on a daily basis than Bata in the last few days. ‘Estamos con Nzalang’, they read – ‘We’re with the Lightning’. The ‘National Lightning’ have certainly caused a thunderclap or two here, but there is a risk that dark clouds will intensify if they benefit from another iffy call next time out.
That said, the quarter-finals greatly improved the overall mood around the tournament. The group stages had been cagey and tentative, not always aided by poor pitches in Ebebiyin and Mongomo, but the last-eight fixtures brought 16 goals and, especially in the second halves, some sparkling football.
DR Congo produced a stunning final half-hour to overturn a two-goal deficit against the close neighbours, Republic of the Congo, and ex-boss Claude LeRoy. Yannick Bolasie, of Crystal Palace, was among those to shine and their semi-final against Ivory Coast – who beat Algeria 3-1 in another entertaining tie in Malabo, thanks to two Wilfried Bony goals – will be one to savour.
DRC defeated Herve Renard’s side 4-3 in the qualifiers, and anything similar would be a treat; the suave Renard, for his part, will be hoping that nothing gets between him and his lucky white shirt this time. Renard, always smart-casually dressed to a fault, is renowned for his choice of attire and was visibly angered when told to wear a pink CAF bib over it in order not to clash with Algeria’s white kit. As every international manager will tell you, the smallest details can be the most important.
As they unwind in the palatial surrounds of the Sofitel President Palace following their straightforward 3-0 win over Guinea, Ghana will be hoping that the same rings true for them –. And they will certainly be aware that, assuming their semi-final does take place in relatively sleepy Malabo, they should be in for a much more relaxing time of things than their Tunisian counterparts experienced at the weekend.