Equatorial Guinea advanced to the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in their history courtesy of a 2-1 extra-time win over Tunisia.
Georges Leekens's side took the lead in the 71st minute through Ahmed Akaichi, and looked to be going through to the last four until referee Rajindraparsad Seechurn awarded a controversial penalty to the host nation in the 90th minute.
Javier Balboa sent the game to extra time by converting the spot kick, and then fired his team to victory with an unstoppable free kick as chaos reigned at the final whistle in Bata.
Read how all of the action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text commentary below.
6.30pmGood evening and welcome to the live commentary of the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final clash between Tunisia and Equatorial Guinea.
6.32pmTunisia will be desperate to emulate their feat of 2004 when they won the competition this year as they performed well in their opening three matches, remaining unbeaten on their way to the last eight. They have reached the quarter-final stage three times in the past five tournaments, but have failed to reach the last four since they won it all 11 years ago.
6.36pmEquatorial Guinea are looking to make history by advancing to the semi-final stage of the competition for the first time. The host nation did reach the quarter-final stage in 2012, but Esteban Becker's side will be determined to go at least one further this time around in front of their home crowd.
6.39pmEsteban Becker's team have been in good form in the competition as they are also unbeaten in their three matches. They recorded a 2-0 victory over Gabon in their last outing to reach the last eight thanks to goals from Iban Salvador and Javier Balboa.
6.43pmThere have been a distinct lack of goals in this tournament as both defences have played well enough, while some of the finishing has not been to a high level. This match is expected to be no different as Tunisia have conceded three goals in their three matches, while Becker's men have conceded just once. It shapes up be a tactical battle this evening.
6.46pmGeorges Leekens's side have more star power in their squad as they have the likes of Bordeaux's Wahbi Khazri and Zurich's Yassine Chikhaoui to lead their line this evening. Both players have been inconsistent in the tournament so far, but have shown glimpses of their quality along with Ahmed Akaichi, who scored his side's last goal against Congo DR which helped them advance to the last eight.
6.50pmThere are few notable names among the Equatorial Guinea squad as they have rallied on a team spirit and the backing of the home crowd to reach the quarter-finals. However, if they are to progress expect Middlesbrough's Emilio Nsue to play a prominent role in the match in the heart of the midfield where he can dictate the tempo of the match.
6.55pmThe starting lineups have been confirmed and we'll bring them to you now, starting with Tunisia.
7pmTUNISIA STARTING XI: A Mathlouthi, H Mathlouthi, Yaacoubi, Ben Youssef, Abdennour, Maaloul, Sassi, Ragued, Khazri, Akaichi, Chikhaoui
Subs: Ben Mustapha, Mohsni, Bedoui, Msakni, Rjaibi, Younes, Chermiti, Nater, Ali Moncer, Saihi, Ben Cherifia, Ben Djemia
Subs: Ben Mustapha, Mohsni, Bedoui, Msakni, Rjaibi, Younes, Chermiti, Nater, Ali Moncer, Saihi, Ben Cherifia, Ben Djemia
7.05pmEQUATORIAL GUINEA STARTING XI: Ovono, Iyanga Travieso, Mbele, Da Gracia Gomes, Bohale Aqueriaco, Zarandona Esono, Ellong, Nsue Lopez, Balboa, Senobua, Fabiani Bosio
Subs: Vazquez Evuy, Engonga, Edjogo-Owono Montalban, Belima, Bolado, Embela, Edu, Obama Nsue Ondo, Briones, Maye, Ganet, Dario
Subs: Vazquez Evuy, Engonga, Edjogo-Owono Montalban, Belima, Bolado, Embela, Edu, Obama Nsue Ondo, Briones, Maye, Ganet, Dario
7.11pmYassine Chikhaoui continues to lead the line for Tunisia alongside Ahmed Akaichi in an expected 4-3-3 formation with Wahbi Khazri operating in the wide areas. Leekens will be looking to Monaco defender Aymen Abdennour to keep things tight at the back for his side this evening following a good tournament so far for the centre-back.
7.13pmDefender Diosdado Mbele returns to the lineup for Equatorial Guinea after missing the win over Gabon due to suspension. Emilio Nsue anchors the midfield for Becker's men in the hole between Doualla and Zarandona and the frontline, while Raul Fabiani will lead the attack.
7.16pmEquatorial Guinea captain Emilio Nsue has admitted that it is a dream for him and his teammates to reach this stage in the competition as host nation, but knows that they will have to be at their absolute best to advance further.
Nsue told reporters: "For me its an amazing, brilliant experience for me and for us [as a team].
"That Equatorial Guinea are in the quarter-finals is a dream. To be here and to win for all the Guinean people - if we can win tomorrow, our people have to be happy. We are a small country but our heart is very big.
"I was here last time and when I came to the stadium, there was a lot of people - it's like we had 12 players. But we know it will be very difficult against Tunisia."
7.20pmTunisia boss Georges Leekens has conceded that his team will be up against it this evening due to the support of the home crowd and is wary of the threat Equatorial Guinea will pose for his side.
Leekens told reporters: "It will be difficult for us especially with their fans behind them, but I am positive in all circumstances.
"They have a balanced team and are so fast in attack. They have posted a fantastic performance beyond most expectations."
7.23pmThe players are making their way out onto the pitch and we should be underway very shortly.
7.26pmThe home crowd are building a raucous atmosphere inside the Estadio de Bata, which could be quite intimidating for Leekens's side this evening.
1 minKICKOFF! We're underway in this quarter-final match.
2 minTunisia push forward down the left with Khazri before the ball is played into the feet of Chikhaoui who falls down on the edge of the box. The referee says he was backing into the defender and awards the free kick to Equatorial Guinea.
4 minThe host nation earn the chance to threaten from about 35 yards out as Balboa is brought down by a hard challenge from Abdennour as the defender comes in from the side. He wins the ball but also takes the leg of the winger.
5 minThe resulting free kick is poor from Doualla as he tries to lift the ball towards the penalty spot, but Tunisia are able to clear their lines with relative ease.
6 minCHANCE! Khazri finds space to run down the left flank and he gets to the edge of the box before firing a low cross in the area. The ball evades two defenders and nearly falls to Chikhaoui, but he can't make contact on the ball, spurning the opportunity.
9 minYELLOW CARD! Ragued goes into the book for a cynical challenge on Zarandona in the centre circle. He'll have to be very careful now!
12 minThe game has settled down after a busy opening 10 minutes for the host nation. They saw a lot of the ball, but were unable to make it count, and now Tunisia are looking to control the pace of the match.
15 minEquatorial Guinea work the ball down the left and Balboa cuts back onto his right foot to dig out a cross. The ball has plenty of flight to attack and is well directed away from Mathlouthi, but it proves to be just too high for Kike at the back post.
17 minTunisia try to find space in the final third and Chikouai turns his man in the edge of the box, but his pass to Khazri runs just too much, which allows Mbele to nip in and clear the ball.
19 minTunisia win a corner and the ball is whipped in too near to Ovono who should make a regulation catch. However, the keeper drops the ball momentarily and Abedennour tries to poke it over the goalline, but hits Ovono as he gathers the ball at the second attempt. The keeper goes down in the heap to receive treatment.
20 minAnother injured player as Khazri takes a knock this time and he also requires treatment on the pitch as he clutches his leg. These stoppages are not helping the rhythm of the match.
24 minMathlouthi powers down the right for Leekens's side and he delivers a cross into the box, which is well cleared by the host nation. However, Chikhaoui collects the ball on the edge of the area and tees up Khazri, but his volley sails well wide of the target. The forward should have done a lot better from that position.
28 minCHANCE! A mistake on the edge of the box presents the ball to Khazri who fires a right-footed strike towards goal. His effort is blocked by Mbele but trickles towards goal, although fortunately for Ovono and his side it goes wide of the post for a corner.
30 minCHANCE! The best chance of the game falls to Sassi as he makes a deep run from the midfield to latch onto a cross from Akaichi from the right. He manages to get between two defenders in the six-yard box, but he fails to make good contact with the ball and his header goes wide of the target.
32 minTunisia are just starting to take hold of this game. Khazri and Akaichi are starting to see more of the ball in the wide areas and are pushing the Equatorial Guinea defence back onto the edge of their own area. A response is needed from Becker's men.
35 minA little bit of a comeback to the pressure from Tunisia from Becker's side as they have upped the ante over the past few minutes. There has been a change in territory gained as the red shirts are piling forward rather than backwards now.
39 minCHANCE! Mathlouthi comes through a crowd of players to punch the ball clear from a free kick, but finds only Balboa on the edge of the box. The winger strikes the ball first time on the half-volley, but Abedennour is on the line to clear it away. The keeper will breathe a sigh of relief after his error.
42 minThe rhythm of the game isn't being helped by a lot of fouls. You can't blame the referee for blowing his whistle because most of these challenges are clumsy and downright unnecessary. The discipline of both teams hasn't been great this evening.
44 minAnother free kick is awarded down the right as Maaloul is guilty of bringing down Kike. The cross comes in deep trying to test the handling ability of Mathlouthi, but the keeper this time is able to make a comfortable catch.
45 minThere will be two minutes of added time.
45 + 1 minKhazri raids down the right and beats the challenge of Sipo to find Chikhaoui inside the box. The striker tries to manouevre his body to drill a shot at goal from a tight angle, but the referee blows for a free kick again! It appears that the Tunisia captain may have handled the ball.
45 + 2 minHALF-TIME: Tunisia 0-0 Equatorial Guinea
8.19pmIt has been far from a classic from both teams this evening as neither has been able to get into a rhythm in the first half due to some nervy play in the final third and clumsy challenges. The referee has been a little bit to play from disrupting the pace of the game, but both teams should have conducted themselves with more discipline in the first period.
8.23pmBoth teams have had one decent chance each as Chikhaoui missed the ball when he tried to latch onto Khazri's low cross into the six-yard box, while Balboa couldn't beat Abdennour on the line following an error from Mathlouthi. Hopefully, the teams' will have their shooting boots on for the second 45 minutes.
46 minRESTART! We're back underway in this quarter-final match.
47 minA free kick is won down the right for Equatorial Guinea by Kike. He takes the free kick himself, but his delivery is poor and is easily cleared by the Tunisian backline.
51 minCHANCE! Ovono makes a brilliant save to deny Akaichi as he tips his strike over the bar with a one-handed stop. Chikhaoui created the opportunity as he turned his man and raided down the left before cutting the ball back to Akaichi inside the box before the forward was denied by the keeper. Much better play from Tunisia, which could spark them into life.
54 minA good through-ball from Doualla finds Nsue down the right inside right channel. The forward tries to turn Ben Youssef to advance further into the box, but the defender remains strong and forces him out wide before winning a free kick for Tunisia to quell the attack.
58 minSHOT! Khazri finds space on the edge of the area after collecting the ball from the left, and he drills his strike low towards the bottom corner but his effort goes just wide of the post, with Ovono scrambling to his right.
60 minSUBSTITUTION: Raul Bosio replaces Ivan Edu for Equatoria Guinea on the hour mark.
62 minYELLOW CARD! A nasty challenge on Balboa forces the referee into his pocket to produce a yellow card for Yaacoubi. It was an awful challenge down the wing and the midfielder is lucky to escape with a caution.
63 minThe resulting free kick is whipped deep to the back post where Zarandona rises highest, but he can only direct his header well over the bar.
65 minCHANCE! Mathlouthi raids down the right and is unopposed as he moves further towards goal. The right-back drills an effort on the half-volley at goal, which is not held by Ovono, and Akaichi comes in with a slide to try and win the ball, but the keeper gathers.
66 minYELLOW CARD! Ovono decides to roll on the floor after the minimal contact from Akaichi and he succeeds in getting the striker booked for the incident. There's nothing wrong with the keeper, which is extremely poor behaviour to con the referee to card Akaichi.
70 minGOAL! Tunisia 1-0 Equatorial Guinea (Akaichi)
70 minTunisia take the lead and it's Akaichi who has fired them in front with a goal from close range. Mathlouthi was allowed space down the right to deliver a cross into the six-yard box and the striker showed predatory instincts to lose his marker to poke the ball past Ovono. A huge moment in the game.
72 minA fracas occurs down the right wing when Chikhaoui gets involved with Edu following a tackle. Both sets of players get involved in the tussle before the referee restores calm. The last thing Tunisia need to do is get involved in something like that moments after taking the lead.
74 minAkaichi runs the length of the field and bursts into the box. The forward has no support so he has to go alone and he tries to poke the ball towards the back post, but there is no direction on the effort, allowing the host nation to breathe again.
76 minChikhaoui shows a turn of pace to get down the left flank for his side. He does have options in the middle and he looks to the near post for the run of Khazri, but the delivery is poor and Mbele nips in to clear the danger.
78 minSassi goes down in a heap for Tunisia in his own half. The incident is takes a while to resolve itself as a stretcher appears, and the Equatorial Guinea players aren't happy about the delay. Chikhaoui fights his side's corner again as he is right in the middle of the crowd of players before Sassi leaves the field on a cart.
80 minSUBSTITUTION: Bolando replaces Randy for Becker's men with 10 minutes to play. Meanwhile, Sassi has been given the all-clear to return to action.
82 minCHANCE! Aymen Mathlouthi makes a crucial save that may send his side through to the last four of the competition as he produces a stop from point-blank range to deny Nsue. The striker was played through down the right and had only the keeper to beat, but his right-footed strike was beaten away one handed by Mathlouthi. What a save!
85 minThe miss from Nsue appears to have taken all the life out of the Equatorial Guinea players. That was their golden chance to get their leveller, but the striker failed to take it. Tunisia look pretty solid at the back at the moment.
85 minSUBSTITUTION! Khazri and Akaichi are withdraw for Tunisia and are replaced by Manser and Chermiti.
90 minPENALTY TO EQUATORIAL GUINEA!
90 + 2 minGOAL! Tunisia 1-1 Equatorial Guinea (Balboa pen.)
90 + 2 minDRAMA! Equatorial Guinea draw level in the dying minutes of the match thanks to one of the worst penalty decisions you are ever likely to see. It's a disgraceful decision! Bolado goes down in the box under no contact from Maaloul and the referee immediately points to the spot. Fair play to Balboa under pressure though as he keeps his cool to find the bottom corner.
90 + 5 minThe referee has lost control of this game. Another melee ensues in the centre circle and he has his cards out, I'm not sure he knows who he has to book in this situation. His display has been poor to say the least and it's down to him that this has reached boiling point.
90 + 5 minYELLOW CARD! The referee decides to book Manser. He might have been the player who committed the infraction, but who knows at this stage.
90 + 5 minFULL-TIME: Tunisia 1-1 Equatorial Guinea
9.26pmWe're heading to extra time thanks to one of the worst penalty decisions you will see as the referee gave the host nation a chance to level the scores in the dying minutes, which Balboa did with the ultimate composure. Akaichi looked to have put Tunisia through, but they didn't do enough to close out the game and another 30 minutes awaits at the least.
90 minKICKOFF! We're underway in extra time.
93 minEquatorial Guinea threaten as the ball bounces awkwardly on the edge of the box and Edu tries to strike the ball at goal, but his effort is tame and Mathlouthi gathers with ease.
95 minTunisia are trying to press to get back into this game, but they are getting nothing out of Chermiti in terms of forward play. He keeps on running offside and giving his midfielders nothing to hit upfront.
99 minBalboa races to the edge of the area as he coasts past two Tunisia players before he is bundled over on the edge of the box by Abdennour and a free kick is awarded. The Tunisia players are furious with the referee.
101 minGOAL! Tunisia 1-2 Equatorial Guinea (Balboa)
101 minBalbao fires Equatorial Guinea into the lead! Incredible scenes as the winger curls the ball into the top corner from the free kick with a spectacular strike to send the stadium into raptures. There was some questionable keeping from Aymen Mathlouthi as his movement was suspect, but all credit to Balboa for finding the net. What a moment for the host nation.
105 minHALF-TIME: Tunisia 1-2 Equatorial Guinea
9.46pmMore drama courtesy of the referee as he fails to add any additional time on the clock after Nsue goes down and takes up the final three minutes of play with his treatment. Utter madness in this match!
106 minRESTART! We're back underway in extra time. Tunisia have 15 minutes to save their tournament.
108 minAnother delay as Rajindraparsad Seechurn blows his whistle for another free kick. This time it is warranted as Edu is brought down by Manser.
111 minA chance for Tunisia to draw level as they win a free kick in a similar position to Balboa's from the first period of extra time.
112 minMaaloul hits his effort over the wall and the strike is dipping towards the bottom corner, but Ovono is on hand to make the save to push the ball away from goal. The effort lacked pace and was never going to beat the keeper for pace there, while Chermiti is flagged for offside on the rebound.
115 minFurther time wasting from Ovono as he requires treatment on his shoulder as he is an apparent agony. It's in poor taste from the keeper as he carries on as if nothing has happened when the physio leaves the field. Equatorial Guinea won't have won many fans for some of their antics this evening.
116 minCHANCE! Desperation for Tunisia as Abdennour throws the ball into the box with a long throw from the right, but it's met by Sassi who guides a header towards goal, but Ovono is on hand to make the stop. The effort didn't have enough power on Sassi.
119 minCHANCE! Tunisia threaten again as a cross bounces in the area and Chermiti tries to pounce on a loose ball, but Rui is on hand to make an excellent block to divert the ball behind for a corner. An excellent intervention from the defender.
120 minThere will be two minutes of added time.
120 + 2 minFULL-TIME: Tunisia 1-2 Equatorial Guinea
10.06pmEquatorial Guinea have reached the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in their history! A brace from Javier Balboa has put them through as they have come from behind in dramatic fashion to keep their hopes of winning the competition in their home nation alive. What great spirit they showed throughout the contest to keep believing. A great result for Esteban Becker's side.
10.10pmThat's the positives out of the way as Tunisia defender Hamza Mathlouthi rushes over to scream in the face of refeee Rajindraparsad Seechurn at the full-time whistle. The added time in extra time was nowhere near enough following the delays to the game, while he didn't even wait for the two minutes to end before blowing the whistle. This should be a great moment for Equatorial Guinea, but the manner of their victory will be remembered for an abject performance from Seechurn.
10.11pmThe worst decision was obviously the penalty when he adjudged Mathlouthi of bringing down Bolado when the contact was minimal if at all. While he disrupted the flow of the game throughout the match giving free kicks for pretty much every bit of contact between the players. A nightmare performance, and one which we probably haven't heard the last of.
10.15pmReports from the stadium suggest there is chaos in the stadium as Seechurn has been escorted off the field by police, while fights occur on the pitch. WOW! This is not what we want to see from a major tournament.
10.21pmThanks for joining our commentary this evening. Be sure to stick with Sports Mole for the rest of our coverage of the Africa Cup of Nations. But from me, it's goodbye.
