At 0:00 Beijing time on January 25, the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals continued, with Guinea playing against the Gambia. In the 70th minute, Moussa Barrow scored the only goal of the game and Guinea fell 0-1. Guinea lost to the Gambia for the first time in its history, reaching the knockout rounds three times in a row, but failing to win any of them.
According to the latest edition of the FIFA rankings, Guinea ranks 81st in the world, while the Gambia is weaker and currently ranks 150th, a contest between two weak brigades. However, Guinea sits for Liverpool's Nabi Keita and is worth 94.5 million euros, more than twice as much as its rivals. Judging from the strength on paper, Guinea is definitely a favorite to qualify.
Guinea also took the initiative on the pitch, with higher possession and seven more shots on goal than its opponents. However, Guinea was overwhelmed and the stalemate remained unbroken.
In the 70th minute, the passively beaten Gambia suddenly broke out, Yusufa Burb's direct pass from midfield, Moussa Barrow rushed into the box in front of the defender, and the left foot calmly pushed the shot, Guinea fell behind 0-1. In the 91st minute, Guinea launched a final attack, resulting in two consecutive shots hitting the upright, and finally losing 1-0.
So far, Guinea has reached the knockout rounds for three consecutive African Cups, all of which are out of the quarterfinals. In addition, Guinea reached the African Cup of Nations knockout round for the fifth time and still did not win a single game. Since 2007, Guinea has played the Gambia four times, losing to the other side for the first time.
After the game, the Gambian players celebrated en masse, the fans waved their flags, while the Guinean team was dejected, and the emotional contrast was very strong.
In the group stage, Guinea only won 1 win, drew 1 and lost 1, and was even upset by the weak team Zimbabwe, but advanced to the round of 16 with a mutual record advantage. The Gambia, which won the first competition, was originally a good opportunity to achieve a breakthrough, but they did not seize it.
The Gambia set three records, scoring goals in their first African Cup knockout rounds, and also won, and became the second team to remain unbeaten in the first four African Cups after Madagascar.
It is worth mentioning that the Gambia's world ranking is twice as low as the national football team, but their overall value is more than 30 million euros higher than the national football team, which can be said that there is no harm without comparison.