Guinea earned their first points of the African Cup of Nations qualifiers in emphatic fashion, dismantling Ethiopia 4-1 in a thrilling home performance led by their talismanic striker, Guisarry.
From the moment the referee blew the opening whistle, the hosts asserted their dominance, with a relentless offensive display that left Ethiopia struggling to cope.
The breakthrough came in the 18th minute when Guisarry coolly converted from the penalty spot after a clumsy foul in the box.
The Ethiopian goalkeeper, Habtamu, guessed the right way but could do nothing to stop the well-placed strike that nestled into the bottom corner.
This early lead ignited the Guinean attack, and they didn’t let up.
With Ethiopia pinned back in their half, Guisarry doubled Guinea’s advantage in the 37th minute. The goal came after a beautifully orchestrated move, with midfielder Cisse threading a precise through ball to Guisarry, who timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap before clinically finishing past the onrushing keeper.
As halftime approached, Guinea showed no signs of slowing down. In the 45th minute, Guisarry completed his first-half hat-trick, courtesy of a clever assist from Kamano.
The forward weaved his way through the Ethiopian defense before laying the ball off for Guisarry, who made no mistake from close range, sending the home fans into wild celebrations as they sensed a memorable night ahead.
The second half began just as the first had ended, with Guinea applying relentless pressure. Only three minutes after the restart, they found the back of the net once again, this time from a defensive mix-up that allowed Guinea to pounce and extend their lead to 4-0, leaving Ethiopia in disarray.
Despite the lopsided scoreline, Ethiopia managed to pull one back in the 53rd minute, when a rare lapse in Guinea’s defense allowed them to score a consolation goal.
The strike, however, did little to change the flow of the game as Guinea continued to dominate possession and dictate the tempo.
As the clock wound down, both teams created a few chances, but the scoreline remained unchanged.
The 4-1 victory was a statement performance from Guinea, especially after back-to-back losses in their previous outings.
The win revived their hopes in the tournament, providing a much-needed morale boost as they looked to build on this result going forward.
