What a way to celebrate
Burkina Faso goalkeeper Hervé Koffi channelled his inner Lomana LuaLua on Sunday as he celebrated his country’s penalty shoot-out win against Gabon.
The game went the distance after Bertrand Traoré’s first-half goal for Burkina Faso looked set to take them through in 90 minutes.
However Gabon, who were reduced to 10 men after Sidney Obissa was given a second yellow card, equalised in stoppage time of the second half as Adama Guira’s own goal took the game to extra-time.
The penalties went a fair distance, with both countries getting to their ninth penalty takers, after both missed two of their first eight.
Both goalkeepers kept their side in it and it looked as if they would both have to step up from 12 yards. But after Gabon’s Lloyd Palun hit the bar, Burkina Faso were given the chance to seal victory.
Koffi watched on from the side as his teammate Ismahila Ouedraogo scored the winning spot-kick sparking a frenzy of celebrations as Burkina Faso advanced to the quarter-finals, where they will face Tunisia.
Highlight of #AFCON2021 so far has to be Hervé Koffi’s acrobatic celebration after Burkina Faso beat Gabon on penalties 🤸 pic.twitter.com/OhsJ8QgWdR
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) January 24, 2022
As the ball hit the net, the 25-year-old was then caught jumping to his feet before running down the touchline where he produced a series of rather impressive backflips.
The win was a momentous one for the Burkinabé, who are now only two games away from reaching the Africa Cup of Nations final for the second time in their history, and just three years after they failed to reach the finals of the 2019 tournament.
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