Gabon 3-2 Morocco: Mbanangoye scores 98th-minute winner to eliminate Atlas Lions and put fervent Panthers into quarterfinal

A 98th-minute free kick from Bruno Zita Mbanangoye saw co-host Gabon stun Morocco and book a quarterfinal place while dumping the Atlas Lions out of the Africa Cup of Nations after a dramatic and tense encounter at Stade d'Angondjé in Libreville.

Houssine Kharja's composed finish had set Morocco on its way after the North Africans had dominated in the first half. A quick-fire comeback followed as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang volleyed in a sumptuous strike before Daniel Cousin looked to have sealed a quarterfinal berth in the 79th minute.

Charly Moussono's handball in the penalty area saw Kharja convert the spot kick for his second and potentially keep the North Africans in the tournament. A final twist saw substitute Mbanangoye strike in a wonderful free kick to seal the most dramatic of wins.

After hits team's 2-1 defeat to Tunisia on Monday, Eric Gerets made four changes with the likes of Medhi Carcela-Gonzalez, Youssef El Arabi, Youssef Hadji and Adil Hermach replacing the ineffectual Marouane Chamakh, Nordine Amrabat, Mbark Boussoufa and the unfit Oussama Assaidi as the Atlas Lions' went for an attacking lineup in a potential do-or-die encounter.

The co-hosts, backed by their fervent and vociferous fans inside the stadium, were held under pressure from their opponents from the off. Hadji and Mickael Chretien offered some sort of attacking opportunity in the early minutes, with the latter blasting wide despite options being afforded to him.

Gabon was notably taking a physical approach against Gerets' side in order to gain territorial advantage with Andre Poko receiving a yellow card for a strong two-footed tackle. Eric Moulongui of Nice attempted to capitalize on sloppy Moroccan defending, but was unable to convert a header from Stephane N'Guema's free kick.

Nevertheless, it would be the Atlas Lions who would take a deserved lead after 25 minutes. Younes Belhanda's foray into the box saw him locate captain Houssine Kharja with a splitting pass. After bambloozing the defender with a deft touch of the ball, the 29-year-old calmly fired past Didier Ovono to break the deadlock.

The Panthers, whose fans were silenced by the goal, almost hit back immediately. A drilled cross from the right flank picked out Pierre Aubameyang, whose effort flashed wide. The Saint-Etienne winger again exposed the Moroccan backline, but this time his cross was controversially adjudged to have gone out of play. Both sides who had already engaged in a tense physical game were then involved in a few scuffles as the referee called for halftime.

Both sides made solitary changes heading into the second period, as the co-hosts stepped up their efforts. Aubameyang raced past his opponent on the wing before squaring back to subsitutte Daniel Cousin, with the ex-Hull striker forcing a smart save from Nadir Lamyaghri.

Gerets' men, who were distinctly average on Monday against Tunisia, saw a marked improvement in their overall defending by keeping the Panthers at bay. Cousin again was involved in the build-up with his threatening ball in superbly headed away by Badr El-Kaddouri.

As the attacking tempo increased, so did the fanatical support inside the stadium. And for all the Gabonese perseverance, it did pay off. Moments after Bruno Ecuele Manga's header flew wide, the co-hosts grabbed a superb equalizer. Another long-throw caused confusion with Aubameyang volleying in a powerful effort to lift the nation.

The goal sparked a minor invasion on the athletics track in Libreville, and what followed sparked fervent celebrations. Seconds after the equalizer, the Atlas Lions' defense had imploded. A simple ball into Cousin in the box saw the striker swivel and fire what looked like the winner past Lamyaghri eleven minutes from time. It could've been 3-1 had Levy Madinda not fired over the bar from metres out from a rebound.

Drama ensued in the 90th minute after Charly Moussono was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box. Captain Kharja stepped up to fire the resulting penalty in to break Gabonese hearts and keep Morocco in the tournament by the skin of their teeth.

That only lasted all of eight minutes as Bruno Zita Mbanangoye sparked another Gabonese outpouring of joy with a curling free-kick past Lamyaghari and into the net to progress into the quarter-finals.

Gabon and Tunisia qualify from Group C with maximum points from their two games. The two meet in Franceville on Tuesday to decide the top spot. Favorite Morocco joins Senegal in being eliminated by unfancied co-hosts, and Eric Gerets' man look forward to a dead-rubber against Niger.

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