Gabon drew 1-1 with Burkina Faso in 2017 Africa Cup of Nations action at the Stade de I’Amitie in Libreville on Wednesday night, but coach Jose Antonio Camacho believes in his team’s prospects despite the AFCON hosts settling for their second consecutive stalemate of the group stage.
A first half penalty from captain and star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equalised after Burkina Faso’s Prejuce Nakoulma opened the scoring in the first half for the Stallions.
With two points from two games, and a match against Cameroon to come, progressing from Group A will not be easy.
After disappointing in their two games thus far, coach Camacho still believes that his side will be able to overcome Cameroon and qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.
“Failing to beat Burkina Faso was frustrating. We had several chances but we did not convert them though the players gave their best and attacked, piling pressure on Burkina Faso,” Camacho said to the media following his side’s draw, according to SuperSport.
“We had hoped for a win but it did not come. I know the frustrations from our fans but we hope to atone despite having a tough fixture against Cameroon,” he added.
“I am optimistic we will qualify for the quarterfinals even though a lot of pundits have written us off after the draw. As a coach I have to keep on encouraging and motivating my players to keep the focus and work hard on the pitch,” the former Spain coach concluded.
With the pressure on Gabon to progress at their home AFCON tournament, striker Aubameyang, who scored both of their goals thus far, will need to lead his team to victory in the all-important final match against Cameroon, using the support of the home crowd to give them an added advantage and the motivation needed to secure victory.
