The first 45 minutes of the quarter-final between Burkina Faso and Tunisia concludes are underway as the two teams are locked in a goalless draw at the Stade de l’Amitié.
So far, the two teams are locked in a strategic defensive play, leaving little to ponder on but Tunisia is already up and attacking, hoping to secure an early lead
This is the second time Burkina Faso and Tunisia are facing off in the African Cup of Nations, with the previous encounter in 1998 also a quarter-final where Burkina Faso progressed after winning the penalty shootout (8-7).
Burkina Faso has been impressive so far topping group A to qualify for the knockout stages. They finished off the group stages in style with a 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau knocking out hosts Gabon in the process.
Tunisia on the other hand, despite having a slow start to the campaign managed to brush aside their loss to Senegal, surprising tournament favorites Algeria before running four past Zimbabwe to qualify for the knockouts.
Head to Head Encounters.
This will be the third time the two sides have met in 9 years. Their first clash came in the 2010 World Cup qualification round where the Stallions won 2-1 over the two legs.
The third time was in the quarter final of the 1998 African Cup of Nations hosted by Burkina Faso where the Stallions also won through a penalty shot out.
Burkina Faso is currently unbeaten in their last three meetings with Tunisia (W1 D2) although the overall record stands at one victory apiece and three drawn fixtures.
Players to watch.
Burkina Faso – Bertrand Traore
Chelsea’s forward Traore, out on loan at Ajax this season, produced his finest display of the competition against Guinea-Bissau.
The 21-year-old produced a composed finish to secure the win and proving dangerously with six shots on goal and a passing accuracy of over 95 per cent before he was substituted in the 78th minute.
Tunisia – Youssef Msakni
After initiating and finishing a neat move for the first goal in Gabon during the 4-2 victory over Zimbabwe, Msakni’s importance to the entire attack was stressed by their Head Coach Henryk Kasperczak.
He said,[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “We’re counting so much on Msakni. He’s mobile, technical, and efficient. He can hurt the opponent and is a key player in our system.”[/perfectpullquote]
Stay tuned for final results update.
Featured photo: Tunisia on the front foot of the game as Youssef Msakni (C) who scored against Zimbabwe, leads the attack. (Gabriel Bouys)
