Gabon coach Ibela Ignambi Saturnin has attributed his team’s final group game defeat at TotalEnergies CAF U23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 to the sending off of one of his key players during the game.
Gabon suffered their third consecutive loss in Group B at the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF U23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 on Saturday night at the Ibn Batouta Stadium in Tangier, Morocco.
Following defeats to Mali and Niger in previous matches, Coach Ibela Ignambi Saturnin’s team faced another setback, losing 2-0 to defending champions Egypt.
Coach Ignambi was quick to pinpoint the red card shown late in the first half to Mouniengue Mbongui as a significant factor in their downfall. “The red card affected us. Egypt is a formidable team, and being reduced to ten players made it challenging for us,” expressed the Gabon coach.
“We started the game well and had control, creating scoring opportunities. However, after receiving the red card, we became overly defensive,” he added.
Despite his frustration with the defeat, Ignambi expressed confidence that the players have gained valuable experience from participating in the tournament. “These young talents are the stars of tomorrow,” he emphasized.
Gabon began their campaign with a 3-1 loss to Mali, followed by a 1-0 defeat to Niger in their second Group B match, and ultimately a 2-0 loss to Egypt. In both the matches against Mali and Egypt, Gabon had a player sent off with a red card.