The African Cup of Nations is still ongoing, but for Guinea’s national football team, it has become a “historic” tournament, having advanced past the knockout stage for the first time.
The achievement brought tears to the eyes of their coach, Kaba Diawara.
Speaking to France Presse at the team’s hotel in Abidjan ahead of the quarter-final clash against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Friday, the former Arsenal striker shared, “For me and the coaching staff, this is truly exceptional; it goes beyond football.”
The “National Elephant” squad reached this stage after Mohamed Bayo scored a last-minute goal, securing a 1-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea, one of the tournament’s notable surprises.
Diawara passionately expressed, “People might wonder why I am crying, considering it’s just the round of 16.
But, for us, it was a moment of truth.”
Under the watchful eyes of his coaching team, he continued, “So, I couldn’t hold back my tears, and the coaching staff as well. We were crying intensely.”
While Guinea emerged as the runner-up to Morocco in 1976, the tournament format was different, featuring a league-style second round.
Since the start of the current century, Guinea exited the group stage in six different editions, advancing to the second round only three times, including 2006, where Diawara scored an opening goal in a 2-3 loss to Senegal.
However, this time, several factors are motivating the “National Elephant” to progress further.
Firstly, this edition of the tournament is being played in Ivory Coast, a neighboring country to Guinea, which has provided substantial support for Diawara’s team against Equatorial Guinea.
At 48 years old, Diawara, his forehead glistening with sweat in the midday heat on a shaded balcony overlooking the Gulf of Cocody in Abidjan, explained, “In Ivory Coast, we practically play on our own soil.”
He continued, “There is a large Guinean community here, and my older brother was born here.
So, in Ivory Coast, we consider ourselves in Guinea; we speak the same language.”
Adding, “But beyond that, Africa has its unique characteristics.
It is entirely different from Europe.”
He elaborated, “There is the heat, the climate in general, and the pitches.
The Africa Cup of Nations is an extraordinary tournament, and it is truly at a high level.
So, you need to adapt.”
Guinea, which finished third in its group behind Senegal and Cameroon, hopes to script more history.
Diawara stated, “When you enter a tournament, your goal is to go all the way, even if luck hasn’t favored us enough to reach the semifinals before.”
