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AFCON 2021: bittersweet night for Ouattara as Burkina Faso edge past Tunisia

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It was a bittersweet night for teenager Dango Ouattara as he scored the lone goal and was later sent off  as Burkina Faso edged Tunisia in the quarter-finals of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

He scored the decisive goal with a wonderful mixture of pace, skill and calm decision-making to send a couple of Tunisian defenders off to the shops.

Ouattara ran onto Blati Toure’s through-ball, held off two Tunisian defenders to cut inside before firing in.

But the Stallions will be with Ouattara in the semifinal, now suspended after his late dismissal. It came after referee Joshua Bondo’s second trip to the monitor for a video assistant referee check in quick succession.

Minutes earlier, Tunisia were denied a penalty as Soumaila Ouattara caught Wahbi Khazri with a high tackle in the box after initially winning the ball.

Burkina Faso, who are ranked 60th in the world, have won all four AFCON quarters they have ever played including three in the past four tournaments.

Tunisia, ranked 30th, have lost six of their past seven.

Kamou Malo’s side were hanging on at the end but the Eagles of Carthage, who beat Nigeria in the last 16, never really looked like equalising.

Khazri had two of Tunisia’s chances, with a 30-yard free-kick tipped over the bar by Herve Koffi and a miscued shot from six yards going well wide.

But, Lorient teenage forward Ouattara was the only difference between the teams with his run off a Toure’s midfield ball just before the break – although his late red card could well end his tournament.

The Stallions, who lost the 2013 final, had chances to win by more long before the late drama with Cyrille Bayala denied by Bechir Ben Said when he had time and space in the box.

The final whistle, then met by wild celebrations from the Burkina Faso players meant they are through to the semifinals and will face either Senegal or Equatorial Guinea.

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