Guinea advances to AFCON quarters after late winner eliminates Equatorial Guinea

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ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Mohamed Bayo scored in the eighth minute of stoppage time to send Guinea into the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-0 win over 10-man Equatorial Guinea on Sunday.

The game was heading for extra time when Ibrahim Diakité crossed for Boya to finally break the deadlock with a header inside the near post.

It was effectively the last play of the game, which left the exhausted Equatoguinean players slumped on the field. A majority of the 36,340 fans in attendance celebrated, mindful of Equatorial Guinea’s 4-0 win over host nation Ivory Coast in the previous match – a result that almost knocked the hosts out.

Tournament top scorer Emilio Nsue missed a penalty in the 69th minute when his spot kick struck the right post. It maintained the game’s zero shots on target up to that point.

The penalty was awarded through VAR for a foul by Guinea defender Sekou Sylla on Iban Salvador.

Equatorial Guinea defender Federico Bikoro was shown a straight red card in the 55th for kicking Bayo while attempting a clearance.

Guinea will next face seven-time champion Egypt or Congo, which played their round-of-16 game later Sunday in San Pedro. Both teams are looking for their first win after drawing all their group games.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer