Ibrahim Diakite was named TotalEnergies Man of the Match after Guinea’s 1-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea. It was a well-deserved designation for the player who was the author of the cross, which brought Mohamed Bayo’s goal at the end of added time.

In a post-match press conference, the player hailed a historic victory, especially since it was the first time since 1976 they won in the knockout stages of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations.

“This victory is historic; no one in history has managed to do that. This victory is for the people who have suffered for a long time,” he declared.

The Le Havre striker now dreams of going all the way.

“We are delighted; 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 there would be opportunities sooner or later, and that’s what we managed to do.”

He also praised the work of his teammates, who, from his point of view, were all good in the match.

“The whole team could have had the Man of the Match trophy. Everyone was perfect, but even more important is that we are qualified,” he concluded.

Diakité dedicated the award to his mother.