B’Faso coach blames referee for AFCON semi-final defeat

After crashing out of the Africa Cup of Nations following a semi-final defeat to Egypt on Wednesday night, Burkina Faso’s coach Paulo Duarte has blamed Senegalese referee Malang Diedhiou for his side’s inability to reach the final.

In the match that ended in a 1-1 draw in regulation time, the Portuguese felt his side should have been awarded two penalties.

“I am not used to speaking about refereeing, but the referee had a decisive influence on the result,” Duarte told beIN Sports after the game.

“We had two penalty appeals turned down. I don’t know why he denied those penalties.

Read Also: AFCON: Egypt win shootout to reach Nations Cup final

Egypt goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary saved two spot kicks for the Pharaohs to advance 4-3 on penalties. And Duarte said he is disappointed by the outcome after his side played ‘a great game.’

“We played a great game and we had the upper hand but in football the better does not always win, and this was the case today.

“The game was very tough. It was a game between the best attack in the tournament and the best defence. It was a very tactical game,” he stated.

As it stands however, seven-time Africa champions Egypt will now play Ghana or Cameroon in the Sunday final in Gabon.

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