Guinea registered their first win of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday in Group B’s third and last match day. The Syli National defeated Burundi 2-0 in Alexandria to breathe life into their campaign following a 2-2 draw against Madagascar in their opener and a 1-0 loss to Nigeria later on.
Mohamed Yattara scored both goals in the 25th and the 52nd minutes to hand Guinea 4 points and third place in Group B behind surprise leaders Madagascar (7 points) who stunned Nigeria (6 points) in the other game of the group.
Burundi’s bright start to the meeting turned a nightmare when Christophe Nduwarugira was shown a straight red card following a rough tackle.
Guinea gradually took control of the game and could have claimed more goals in second half but the Swallows mounted a commendable defensive play that worked out until the final whistle.
The Syli’s star player Naby Keita was not fielded. He earlier said he asked his coach to use only those who are 100 % fit. The Liverpool midfielder is yet to completely recover from an injury sustained last April.
Burundi are out of the competition with zero point claimed from three matches while Guinea have a good chance to be among the four best third-place finishers.
