Thursday, 28th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Referee ‘killed us, Burkina Faso cries out

By Editor
03 February 2017   |   3:09 am
Burkina Faso head coach, Paulo Duarte, has lashed out at Senegalese referee, Malang Diedhiou, for their loss to Egypt in their AFCON semifinal game on Wednesday at the Stade de l’Amitie in Libreville, Gabon

Burkina Faso star Ibrahim Toure (left) tangles with Egypt’s Ibrahim Salah in their semifinal tie at Gabon 2017 AFCON on Wednesday.

•Stallions back Koffi, TraoreTweet

Burkina Faso head coach, Paulo Duarte, has lashed out at Senegalese referee, Malang Diedhiou, for their loss to Egypt in their AFCON semifinal game on Wednesday at the Stade de l’Amitie in Libreville, Gabon

The Etalons settled for a 1-all draw with the Pharaohs after extra time and went into penalties that they lost 4-3.“The referee today is the reason why we lost. He refused to award us a penalty when it was very clear that the ball was handled in the box,” Duarte told supersport.com after the game.

Burkina Faso dominated the game in regular time but found themselves on the back foot when Mohamed Salah scored a stunner in the 65th minute to break the deadlock.

However, a spirited comeback saw crowd favourite, Aristide Bance, equalize after a moment of brilliance involving Prejuce Nakoulma and Steve Yago.The Etalons could have won it in extra time with substitute Alain Traore producing some magic but Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El Hadary was at his best.

Twenty-year-old Burkina Faso goalkeeper, Kouakou Koffi, who had been very competent throughout the game, found himself between a rock and a hard place when he missed his penalty reinstating hope in the Pharaohs camp.

Meanwhile, Burkina Faso players have shielded goalkeeper Kouakou Koffi and Bertrand Traore after the pair missed from the spot in their 4-3 loss to Egypt.

The legendary Egyptian goalkeeper, Essam El Hadary, whose experience came in handy denied both youngsters to set up a personal record fifth final, possibly fifth Afcon title and record eighth for the Pharaohs.

Etalons talisman, Aristide Bance, who ended El Hadary’s clean sheet record at Afcon 2017 with a superb goal in the 72nd minute, told supersport.com that sometimes this happens in football.“We win as a team and we lose as a team.

Missing a penalty can happen even to the best players in the world so we are not going to sit here and blame Koffi and Traore. We are in this together,” Bance emphasized after the game.

0 Comments