Denied on that faithful Sunday by Sunday Mba of Nigeria on South African soil, the stallion’s time to rule the continent might just be around the corner.
Coming into the tournament after the tumultuous overthrow of their long serving government for close to 3 decades, the stallions may just want to win the tournament to appease their countrymen in Ouagadougou. Led by mercurial and lanky forward in Jonathan Petriopa, the dreaded stallions may just be the dark horses in Malabo.
Qualifying to the tournament as group runners up behind Gabon, the defensive unit of the stallions deserved some recommendations as their 4 goals conceded is bettered by 4 of the 16 other nations.
They scored 8 goals in 566 whiles shipping in 4 in the qualification campaign.
The weakness however in the qualification process was on their attacking potency, as 6 of their 8 goals were scored by Jonathan Petriopa, averaging a goal every 70.75 minutes.
If the stallions can build on the defensive stability of Mohammed Kofi and company at the back, the threat posed by Gabon, Congo, and the host nation, might easily be handled with ease looking at how solid they fared the last time out.
Making their 10th appearance in Equitorial Guinea, their previous 32 previous matches returned a paltry 4 wins with a final to match it up. Known for churning out drawn games at best, their 29 goals scored may not speak volumes of their attacking credentials but a recap of South Africa 2013 tells you how difficult they are to beat.
Their first appearance might be in 1978, but any neutral pundit will be reluctant to rule out the Petriopa led contingent in Equitorial Guinea.
Inspirational captain Charles Kabore of Russian side Kuban Krasnodar might not be getting the attention he deserved but his energetic midfield displays can only be likened to Sergio Busquets at FC Barcelona.
On a good day for the stallions, any continental super power might have to dig deep into her arsenal if there are to oust the 2013 finalist.
HEAD TO HEAD RECORDS AGAINST GROUP MEMBERS
The stallions might have appeared at the continental show piece on 9 different occasions, making their debut in 1978, but that has not prevented them from leaving an indelible mark on the continent. The following figures show the head to head match facts among the other group opponents.
Appearance: 10 th
32 matches played, 4 wins, 9 draws , 19 defeats, 29 goals scored and 55 goals conceded
Best finish: losing finalist in 2013
Nation P W D L
GABON
EQ. GUINEA 1 1 0 0
CONGO
STAR PLAYER TO WATCH
The undisputed star of this solid team can only be the 2013 tournament best player in Jonathan Petriopa.
The former St Etienne’s and HSV Hamburger forward, who now plies his trade in the gulf region with Aljazeera drags the team on his young shoulders.
Not only was voted the best player at the last edition, he has once again been nominated as the best in the current qualification campaign, supported by his 6 goals in his nations quest to qualify for the ebola threatened tournament.
He is not just a goal machine as the tally may suggest, he is the kind of forward any coach will dream of having.
He brings on board physical presence, fluidity in attack, intelligent movement and above all clinical in finishing. Jonathan Petriopa might not be as common a household name like the Yaya Toure, the Asamoah Gyan or the Gervinho, but he goes about doing his business quietly but effectively.
With equally quality team players like the bearded center back in Mohammed Koffie, Allain Traore and the versatile charlse kabore, one can only imagine what the bullish stallions can bring on board.
Headed by belgian managerial genius in Paul Putt, the stalions might afterall dream of repeating the dosage prescribed on south African soil.
The players released by Paul Putt to help him achieve his continental ambitions are seen below.
BURKINA FASO-GROUP A
Goalkeepers: Moussa Germain Sanou (WC Beauvais/FRA), Abdoulaye Soulama (Hearts of Oak/GHA), MoussaFofana (RC Kadiogo/BUR)
Defenders:Bakary Kone (Lyon/FRA), Mohamed Koffi (Zamalek/EGY), Wilfried Balima (Sheriff Tiraspol/MDA), Steve Yago (Toulouse/FRA), Paul Keba Koulibaly (Horoya FC/GUI), Narcisse Bambara ( Universitatea Cluj/ROM), Florent Rouamba (Bastia/FRA), Issa Gouo (AS Kaloum/GUI)
Midfielders:Jonathan Zongo (Almeria/ESP), MoussaYedan (Al Ahly/EGY), Bertrand Traore (Vitesse Arhnem/NED), Djakaridja Kone (Evian/FRA), Charles Kabore (FC Kuban/RUS), Préjuce Nacoulma (Mersin Idmanyurdu Klubu/TUR), Adama Guira (Sonderyesk/DEN), Abdou Razack Traore (Kardemir Karabuk Sport/TUR)
Forwards:Jonathan Pitroipa (Al Jazira /UAE), Aristide Bancé (HJK Helsinki/FIN), Issiaka Ouédraogo (Admira Wacker/AUS), Alain Traore (Lorient/FRA), Banou Diawara (RC Bobo/BUR)
By Saani Abacha
Email: saaniabacha77@yahoo.com
Twitter: @saani_abacha