Before the tournament, this was widely seen as a straight duel to avoid last place. And in the first competitive encounter between Group A’s distant underdogs, following two prior friendly victories for Guinea Bissau, the Djurtus unsurprisingly began the stronger.
Yet, it was at the opposite end of the field where the deadlock would be broken in the 21st minute. A brief lapse in concentration from Janio Bikel allowed Nsue through, and he converted with an expertly-taken one-on-one finish.
Josete Miranda then came close to doubling Equatorial Guinea’s lead only a matter of minutes later, but the striker would be denied a goal on his recall to the Elefantes’ XI, as his ambitious cross-shot beat Ouparine Djoco, but not the crossbar.
Guinea Bissau heeded this warning, and thought they had turned the game on its head in a crazy four-minute spell in front of goal, however there was to be a sting in the tail, as an 37th-minute own goal from Esteban Orozco brought the Djurtus back to a level playing field.
The comeback then seemed to be truly on when referee Samuel Uwikunda pointed to the spot, for what appeared like a clumsy challenge from Saúl Coco on Franculino Dju.
However, VAR would save Equatorial Guinea on this occasion, as a review of his on-field monitor led to an overturn. It was a let-off Equatorial Guinea capitalised upon very well, as – amid an array of impressive dance moves in the stands from both sets of supporters during the break – they were celebrating on the pitch almost immediately after the restart, when Miranda sublimely volleyed his side back ahead.
And unbelievably, the Elefantes’ early second-half charge towards victory was not finished there, as Nsue shortly slotted home his second goal from the back post courtesy of Basilio Ndong’s delicious delivery into the danger zone.
By now Guinea Bissau were truly on the ropes, and following another prolonged intervention from VAR, Nsue was eventually allowed to celebrate an unforgettable afternoon in Abidjan with his ecstatic teammates, with the Elefantes’ captain bringing up his hat-trick via another clinical one-on-one strike past Djoco.
Ze Turbo fired in a late consolation deep in second-half stoppage-time for Guinea Bissau, but it ultimately had no impact on the contrast of emotions at full time.
Unbelievably, against all pre-tournament expectations, this comprehensive victory for Equatorial Guinea provisionally lifts them above Ivory Coast to the top of Group A. Meanwhile, Guinea-Bissau now have it all to do if they want to qualify for the knockout stages, as even a victory in their last group game might ultimately end up not being enough.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Emilio Nsue (Equatorial Guinea)
