Emilio Nsue secured a hat-trick, propelling Equatorial Guinea closer to the knockout stages of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with a dominant victory over Guinea-Bissau.
Nsue confidently scored the opening goal in the first half and completed his hat-trick with two additional goals after the break, marking the first Afcon treble since 2008.
Despite Esteban Orozco’s own goal leveling the score at halftime, Equatorial Guinea quickly regained the lead early in the second half with Josete Miranda’s decisive strike.
In stoppage time, Ze Turbo scored a consolation goal for Guinea-Bissau.
With this result, Equatorial Guinea now leads Group A with four points, pending the outcome of the Ivory Coast versus Nigeria match (17:00 GMT). The victory puts Juan Micha’s team on the verge of securing a spot in the last 16, following their 1-1 draw against Nigeria on Sunday.
For Nsue, the 34-year-old former player for Middlesbrough and Birmingham City, it was a remarkable day. He capitalized on defensive lapses to achieve a first Afcon hat-trick since Morocco’s Soufiane Alloudi accomplished the feat 16 years ago in a group-stage match against Namibia.
Nsue seized his first goal by lifting the ball past goalkeeper Ouparine Djoco’s leg after Guinea-Bissau captain Sori Mane failed to handle Pablo Ganet’s routine through ball.
The Djurtus (Wild Dogs) had endured two consecutive Afcon tournaments without scoring, but Franculino’s persistent efforts paid off. Orozco turned in a close-range cross eight minutes before halftime, leveling the score at 1-1. Referee Samuel Uwikunda confirmed the goal after the first of several VAR checks.
Two minutes later, Guinea-Bissau was awarded a penalty when Saul Coco was initially cautioned for attempting to impede Franculino from shooting, having received Mauro Rodrigues’ astute low pass.
Upon using his pitchside monitor, Uwikunda determined that Coco did not make contact with the back of the forward’s heels. Equatorial Guinea capitalized on this decision early in the second half when goalkeeper Jesus Owono’s long ball bounced on the edge of the opposition penalty area. Miranda met it with a ruthless first-time finish.
Nsue secured his second goal when Djoco struggled to handle Basilio Ndong’s cross five minutes later. The striker displayed his finesse in the finest of finishes when he received Jose Machin’s pass, gracefully maneuvered around Djoco, and scored from a tight angle.
A tense wait ensued as a check for offside confirmed Nsue’s hat-trick, marking the 20th goal of his international career and extending his record as Equatorial Guinea’s all-time leading scorer.
Guinea-Bissau managed to score their second goal in added time when Ze Turbo skillfully directed Dalcio’s right-wing cross into the far corner of the net with the outside of his left foot.
A remarkable reflex save by Owono, stretching elastically, thwarted Guinea-Bissau’s attempt to narrow the deficit once more. He turned aside Jefferson Encada’s deflected long-range strike deep into added time.
Despite being at the bottom of the group, Guinea-Bissau finds consolation in breaking their record goalless streak at the tournament. This drought had persisted for almost 14 hours of football since they last scored in a 2-1 defeat by Cameroon in 2017.
Baciro Cande’s team will resume their campaign against Nigeria at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium on Monday (17:00 GMT), aiming for their first-ever Afcon win in their 12th match across four appearances at the finals.