Gabon captain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, has vowed to put up a better show with his teammates after only securing a point against Guinea-Bissau in the AFCON opener.
The Panthers scored first from Aubameyang’s tap-in to put the ball past the keeper but the hosts could not defend the lead. They conceded a last minute goal from Juary Soares to draw the game at 1-1.
Aubameyang said the team owes a good performance to their great fans and promised a better show in the next game against Burkina Faso.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”We have learned from our mistakes. I remain positive that we can reach our first goal, which is qualifying for the knockout phase.[/perfectpullquote]
“We have lofty ambitions in this tournament and playing at home in front of our wonderful supporters is a great advantage.”
He concluded by admitting, “Mistakes were made against Guinea-Bissau, like conceding a goal in the final minute.” And also acknowledged that, “…We must now rectify those errors and defeat Burkina Faso.”
Born in France to a Spanish mother and a Gabonese father, Aubameyang was eligible to represent any of the three countries but chose to follow in his father’s footsteps for Gabon, a country his father once captained.
Aubameyang is currently the top scorer in the Bundesliga with incredible 16 goals out of 15 matches, and Gabon will be counting on him to lead them to the knock-out stage preferably ahead of four-time winners, Cameroon.
The Guinea-Bissau Fairy Tale Continues.
Little known Guinea-Bissau on the other hand, have continued their fairytale run that started in the AFCON qualification race.
Against all odds, they won the qualifiers group that included former champions, Congo Brazzaville and Zambia and are beaming with confidence, after holding Gabon to a draw.
Guinea-Bissau Coach, Baciro Cande, who took charge of the Wild Dogs when Portuguese, Paulo Torres, was barred from four matches during the qualifiers, is now confident in his team’s potential despite being grouped against the big boys.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”We now have the motivation to go far. My team may not have any big-name footballers, but we have unity and determination, and that counts for so much.[/perfectpullquote]
“No one gave us a chance against Gabon and we could have ended up winning that match.” He added.
Group A is surely one to watch closely with both games sharing goal statistics so far, and could still be topped by any of the four teams.
Featured photo: Pierre Aubameyang has more to do to help Gabon out of the group stages. (GETTY IMAGES)
