Dango Outtara scored the only goal on Saturday night at Roumde Adjia Stadium to help Burkina Faso beat Tunisia 1-0 in the Africa Cup of Nations to seal their place in the last four.
The first real threat in the game happened in the fifth minute when Wahbi Khazri managed to get on the byline before cutting the ball back to Youssef Msakni, but Herve Koffi threw his body on the line to stop him.
Apart from that early threat, the teams struggled to create meaningful scoring opportunities in the 15 or so minutes that followed.
The Stallions tested Ben Said in the Tunisia goal after 25 minutes. Cyrille Bayala turned Mohamed Drager inside out before forcing the goalkeeper to a fine save. The ball went out for an unfruitful corner.
Msakni was fouled 30-yards from Burkina Faso's goal in the 27th minute and Khazri stepped up to take the resulting free-kick. He took it well and forced Koffi to make a brilliant save.
The Eagles of Carthage had their custodian to thank in the 40th minute. Steeve Yago's clever pass put Djibril Ouattara in a good position, but his effort from less than 10-yards was well saved by the goalkeeper.
Koffi made a harsh attempt to clear the danger outside his area with two minutes to the break and the referee booked him and handed Tunisia a free-kick. Khazri was, however, stopped by the wall and the ball went out for a corner that bore no fruits.
The Stallions managed to get an opener just before the half-time whistle. Ouattara received an inch-perfect pass from Blati Toure and managed to beat two defenders before unleashing a rocket that almost ripped the net!
Five minutes after the pause, Said once again was called into action and denied the Stallions their second goal. Toure received a great ball in the danger zone that put him one-on-one with the goalkeeper. However, he went for power instead of precision and the Carthage Eagles survived.
The West Africans resorted to physical play and frustrated their opponents who were desperate for an equaliser.
In the 67th minute, Edmond Tapsoba committed a foul just at the edge of the danger zone. From the resulting free-kick, Koffi pulled a great save to deny Msakni. The ball went out for a corner and was eventually cleared.
Burkina Faso were reduced to 10 men in the 81st minute after the goalscorer was sent off for a nasty elbow on an opponent. Initially, the referee had gone for a booking but after consulting with VAR, he revised his decision and sent him off.
However, the Stallions held on to secure a place in the last four and will now face the winner between Senegal and Equatorial Guinea.
