Gabon Vs. Morocco, 2012 Africa Cup Of Nations: Gabon Edge Fantastic Match

Gabon advance to the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals after a brilliant 3-2 win against Morocco that sees the losers out of the tournament. It’s a win that didn’t look at all likely for most of the game - Morocco were the better side in the first half and absolutely nobody was surprised when Houssine Kharja slammed the ball past Didier Ovono and into the back of the net int he 24th minute.
The hosts improved after the break and started to batter Nadir Lamyaghri’s goal. However, they simply weren’t making any progress and after 75 minutes it looked as though Morocco would be able to see the game out. Then Pierre Aubameyang, who had impressed (and scored) against Niger in Gabon’s opening match showed up, demonstrating perfect form as he volleyed a loose ball past Lamyghri and into the back of the net.
Gabon barely had an opportunity to celebrate before they managed to notch another, this time through substitute Daniel Cousin, who managed to shank his finish in a way that saw the ball swerve straight into the bottom corner to make it 2-1. The home crowd was going mental - if the score stayed that way, Gabon were going through.
It didn’t. As injury time loomed, Younes Belhanda launched a hopeful shot towards the Gabon goal, only to see the ball bounce off a defender’s hand. It was a clear penalty, and Kharja stepped up to lash the equaliser into the back of the net. A contentious eight minutes of stoppage time played out before Gabon were awarded a very late free kick near the corner of the box. While everyone waited for a cross, Bruno Zita crashed the ball in at the near post, catching Lamyaghri flat-footed, making the score 3-2 and sending Gabon through to the quarterfinals with the last kick of the match.
With Gabon’s win, Morocco, who’ve lost two from two, are out of the Cup of Nations, as are Niger. Tunisia are through to the quarters, and the two teams will battle it out to determine who ends up as group winners on Tuesday.