Congo's forward Ferebory Dore (R) vies with Gabon's defender Aaron Billy
Appindangoye during their 2015 African Cup of Nations group A football
match in Bata on January 21, 2015. PHOTO| AFP
Captain Prince Oniangue scored the only
goal of the game as Congo Brazzaville claimed a surprise 1-0 win against
Gabon on Wednesday to throw Group A wide open at the Africa Cup of
Nations.
Oniangue, of French Ligue 1
club Reims, struck three minutes into the second half in Bata and Gabon,
who had dominated the first half, could not find an equaliser.
The
result leaves Claude Le Roy's Congo, appearing at the Cup of Nations
for the first time since 2000, on top of the group and needing just a
draw from their final game against Burkina Faso in Ebebiyin to clinch a
place in the quarter-finals.
It also
leaves Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Gabon, 2-0 winners against Burkina
Faso on Saturday, still with work to do to secure their own place in the
last eight of this year's finals.
Jorge
Costa's side knew that a win here would take them through with a game
to spare and they had a host of chances to take the lead in the first
half.
NETTED IN OPENING GAME
The
pressure started right from the off, with Frederic Bulot seeing a
fourth-minute volley turned over the bar by Christoffer Mafoumbi in the
Congo goal.
Malick Evouna, who netted
in Gabon's opening game, was then denied before Andre Biyogo Poko sent a
rising shot over the bar as the Panthers continued to exert their
authority.
Levy Madinda fired across
goal and wide of the far post after showing some lovely skill inside the
box and skipper Aubameyang, Gabon's star man, saw a free-kick boxed
away by Mafoumbi in stoppage time right at the end of the first half.
But
just as Gabon profited from Burkina Faso's inability to convert their
chances at the weekend, so they paid the price for profligate finishing
on this occasion.
Oniangue, an
under-rated midfielder in the French top flight, pounced to fire home
from close range soon after the restart after the Gabon defence failed
to clear a corner.
Soon after,
Oniangue almost scored his and his side's second goal with a snap shot
from the edge of the box that was blocked by Didier Ovono.
However,
Gabon squandered a glorious chance to level the scores midway through
the second half as Bulot, of English side Charlton Athletic, somehow
sent the ball wide of the right post with the goal at his mercy.
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