Gabon and Equatorial Guinea might be the two weakest nations to host the Africa Cup of Nations in recent memory, but they’ve kept up the streak of hosts qualifying for the knockout round of the tournament. Equatorial Guinea had to squeak through, but Gabon has done anything but. Their impressive win over Tunisia on Tuesday was their third in the tournament, and they’ll be heading to the quarterfinals as the winners of Group C with a perfect record.
Africa Cup Of Nations 2012, Group C: Gabon Defeat Tunisia, Advance In First Place
Gabon has won Group C of the Africa Cup of Nations after a win over Tunisia, who advances to the quarterfinals in second place.
Gabon 1-0 Tunisia
The first half of the group-decided fixture started slow, but seriously picked up at the very end of the first half as both teams created good scoring chances. Tunisia had the better of the play early, but Gabon created a few shots just before the break, foreshadowing what was to come.
Gabon started the second half as the better side and eventually found a goal in the 62nd minute. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang -- perhaps the player of the tournament thus far -- was the scorer, and his goal would be the only one of the match. Running onto a long pass at the end of a fast counter-attack, he hit a brilliant finish past Rami Jeridi from 15 yards, beating him at his far post.
Tunisia awaits the winner of Group D, while Gabon will face the runner up in that same group. All four teams could qualify from Group D, with Ghana likely to finish top.
Niger 0-1 Morocco
Though this game did not have any bearing on the standings, Morocco was still in need of a win to avoid embarrassment. They came into the tournament with high expectations and simply failed to deliver in their losses to Tunisia and Gabon, two sides who do not match them in talent. Though they are now out of the tournament, they at least get to go home on a positive note with a win. Younes Belhanda scored the game’s only goal.
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