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Not so long ago, Equatorial Guinea were expelled from the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations for fielding an ineligible player in a qualifier. However, after stepping in as last-minute hosts, the Nzalang Nacional ("National Lightning") found themselves in the semi-finals on Thursday evening, facing Ghana with a view to progressing to the final on Sunday, where the Ivory Coast await.

Despite being ranked 118th in the world, the Equatoguineans went into their semi-final in Malabo undefeated, having followed two draws with two wins. Ghana, ranked 37th in the world, suffered a loss in their opener to Senegal. 

However, shameful behaviour from the home crowd put a dark cloud over their meeting, a 3-0 Ghana win, and appalled fans documented the antics on Twitter.

Before the game, there was much talk of the standard of officiating, following a highly controversial display in the host's narrow quarter-final win over Tunisia that saw the referee suspended for six months.

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The Black Stars were huge favourites going into the game, and despite the potential influence of the officials, most fans on Twitter (correctly) believed they had this game in the bag:

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Yet, according to the commentators and Twitter users, each Equatorial Guinean had around 50,000 reasons to try to beat the four-time AFCON champions:

 

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Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan found himself confined to the bench after colliding with the Republic of Guinea's goalkeeper in the quarter-finals, which handed the hosts a glimmer of hope: 

 

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Despite his absence, Gyan did inspire some excellent hair-based banter:

 

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As the game kicked off, Robert Mugabe, the president of Zimbabwe, memes flooded Twitter in the wake of his embarrassing public fall. Inevitably, the worlds of football and Zimbabwean dictators collided:

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The first half-hour of the game didn't produce many moments for the highlight reel, but referee Eric Arnaud Otogo-Castane certainly suffered some scrutiny:

 

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Fans on Twitter also distracted themselves from the low-quality football on display by commentating on Ghana manager Avram Grant, who appears to own only one shirt these days:

 

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Even the Ghanaian FA seemed to be in on the joke:

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The game finally came to life in the 41st minute, when Equatorial Guinean keeper Felipe Ovono brought down Kwesi Appiah in the area. The shot-stopper was booked—not sent off—and Jordan Ayew slotted home the penalty:

 

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Three minutes later, the Black Stars doubled their advantage when Mubarak Wakaso finished a counter-attacking move beautifully from around 15 yards. Even Grant couldn't contain his glee:

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Wakaso's strike was also a significant landmark in the tournament's history:

 

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Home fans were unhappy with the two-goal deficit and decided to express their discontent by throwing things:

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The fan misbehaviour continued and prevented the Black Stars from entering their dressing room before police intervened:

 

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There was a tense atmosphere in the 15,000-seater Estadio de Malabo when the teams emerged from the second half, but Ghana goalkeeper Razak Brimah took the precaution of bringing a friendly neighbourhood accomplice onto the field with him:

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After spending most of the second half slowly unraveling while trying to put pressure on the referee, the hosts conceded for a third time in the 75th minute when Andre Ayew slotted home from around 10 yards:

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With under 10 minutes to go, the game took an unfortunate turn as the referee halted play when fans spilled onto the touchline. It was understood that they were Ghana fans seeking refuge from the missiles and abuse of the home contingent:

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The referees paused play for over 30 minutes, with missiles continuing to rain down while helicopters flew overhead and the Equatoguinean players pleaded with the crowd to calm down:

 

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While chaos brewed inside, fears began to grow for the Ghana players and fans who would eventually need to make their exit: 

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After more than a half-hour of confusion and embarrassing scenes, the referee resumed play for three meaningless additional minutes.

Despite being harangued by the hostile home crowd for most of the game, the Black Stars celebrated their ascension to Sunday's final with a bit of a dance: 

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Follow me @RyanJayBailey

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Readers Comment

  • casto 9 years ago

    mind your headline, its unprofessional. that wasn't a controversial win. the controversial in the decisions did not favour the two teams, hence it was fair.

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