The TotalEnergies Man of the Match award went to Ibrahim Diakite following Guinea’s 1-0 triumph over Equatorial Guinea. The man who created the cross that led to Mohamed Bayo’s goal at the conclusion of extra time deserves this recognition.
The player praised the historic win in a press conference held after the game, noting that it was their first time winning in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations knockout stages since 1976.
“This victory is historic, no one has managed to do that in history. This victory is for the people who have suffered for a long time,” he declared.
Read Also:AFCON 2023: Mpasi Sends DR Congo To Quarterfinals
The Le Havre striker now dreams of going all the way.
“We are very happy; it was hard, and we managed to hold on until the end. I hope we will continue like this and go to the end,” he said.
Commenting on the match, Ibrahim Diakite said:
“We had a complicated first half, we couldn’t get our game going. The coach told us to keep pushing because sooner or later, there would be opportunities and that’s what we managed to do.”
He also gave his teammates credit for their efforts, saying that they all performed well during the game in his opinion.
“The whole team could have had the Man of the Match trophy. Everyone was very good but what is even more important is that we are qualified” he concluded.
Diakité dedicated the award to his mother