The Middlesbrough player is calm but aware of the importance of Sunday’s final group game against Gabon, where a win would see them into the quarter-finals
Equatorial Guinea are leaving nothing to chance, even if that is what brought them here. While most of Esteban Becker’s squad train on an unassuming five-a-side pitch by a spot of wasteland outside Bata, their two prize assets have their feet up in the team hotel.
Javier Balboa, the rangy former Real Madrid forward, is upstairs recuperating and Emilio Nsue has been told to take it easy too. It is Nsue, the Middlesbrough wing-back, who has stolen hearts at this Africa Cup of Nations.
Equatorial Guinea are leaving nothing to chance, even if that is what brought them here. While most of Esteban Becker’s squad train on an unassuming five-a-side pitch by a spot of wasteland outside Bata, their two prize assets have their feet up in the team hotel.
Javier Balboa, the rangy former Real Madrid forward, is upstairs recuperating and Emilio Nsue has been told to take it easy too. It is Nsue, the Middlesbrough wing-back, who has stolen hearts at this Africa Cup of Nations.
Chosen as captain by Becker despite having won only two caps before this month, Nsue has been deployed as makeshift centre-forward in this Heath Robinson contraption of a team and scored the tournament’s first goal 16 minutes into the match against Republic of Congo last weekend. Victory against Gabon on Sunday evening will mean progression to the quarter-finals for the last-minute host country and could, for this Mallorca-born footballer, lead to an unlikely homecoming too.
And he was in top form as he helped the hosts to a resounding victory over Gabon. Against all odds, Equatorial Guinea are in the quater finals of AFCON 2015.
And he was in top form as he helped the hosts to a resounding victory over Gabon. Against all odds, Equatorial Guinea are in the quater finals of AFCON 2015.
By: Farai Diza
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