Burkina Faso snatch late win over 10-man Equatorial Guinea at AFCON 2025
Burkina Faso scored two goals in added time to complete a stunning comeback against 10-man Equatorial Guinea in Group E at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Edmond Tapsoba scored the winning goal in the final seconds in Casablanca, heading home a rebound to seal an incredible turnaround.
The first half ended 0-0, but the match changed five minutes after the break when a video assistant referee (VAR) review upgraded Basilio Ndong’s yellow card to a straight red for a studs-up challenge on Bertrand Traore.
Remarkably, Equatorial Guinea went ahead in the 85th minute despite having ten players. Substitute Marvin Anieboh scored a superb header into the top corner from Carlos Akapo’s cross.
Burkina Faso pushed forward in the eight minutes of added time and were rewarded when Georgi Minoungou finished calmly after a pass from Brentford’s Dango Ouattara to level the score.
Before Equatorial Guinea could recover, Tapsoba reacted fastest to a saved cross from goalkeeper Jesus Owono and scored the decisive goal.
Burkina Faso will travel to Rabat on Sunday to face Algeria (17:30 GMT) in their second group game, while Equatorial Guinea stay in Casablanca for an earlier match against Sudan (15:00).
Both teams reached the last 16 at the 2023 finals in Ivory Coast. This win gives Burkina Faso a strong start towards reaching the knockout stage again.
Sunderland forward Bertrand Traore was involved in the key moment when Ndong was sent off, while Ouattara had a frustrating afternoon for the Stallions. The winger repeatedly tested Owono but could not make a decisive impact in the box.
Ouattara thought he had set up Lassina Traore for a late goal, but the strike was ruled out for offside. Equatorial Guinea striker Emilio Nsue, the top scorer at the last AFCON with five goals, remained on the bench. Coach Juan Micha will now need to regroup before the crucial game against Sudan.
