Djibouti took advantage of an uneasy start from heavily favored Burkina Faso, but Les Étalons stole an important goal just before halftime that helped them to relax and put away the East African minnows in the second half for a 4-0 victory. Burkina Faso maintain the pace in Group A and remain tied with Algeria on seven points with the North African powerhouse holding the edge on the goal differential tiebreaker. Abdoul Tapsoba scored twice with Issa Kaboré and Mohamed Konaté also contributing for a Les Étalons side that missed a few regular contributors such as Bertrand Traoré and the injured Lassina Traoré.
The Stallions were clearly lacking direction in the early stages and Djibouti’s fearless tactical approach allowed the minnows to surprisingly pose quite a threat. An uneasy feeling took hold of the Burkinabé side over the course of the first half as there was little creative spark without Aston Villa playmaker Bertrand Traoré or Gustavo Sangaré. The traumatic long-term injury suffered by dynamic striker Lassina Traoré meant another important presence was lacking in the Burkinabé attack as well.
Talented young Standard Liège forward Abdoul Tapsoba and Akhmat Grozny striker Mohamed Konaté were counted on to provide the goals, and the relative newcomers gradually played their way into the match. Tapsoba particularly looked dangerous and struck on the stroke of halftime to give the visitors the breakthrough they craved. Central midfielder Ismahila Ouédraogo, a standout for the domestic-based national team in the 2021 African Nations Championship, found space on the left wing and curled in a cross that found Tapsoba, who provided a firm header to beat Djiboutian keeper Innocent Hankuye.
With the lead finally secured, the second half saw Burkina Faso relax and flex their muscles against the minnows, scoring the second before two minutes had passed after halftime. Troyes AC right back Kaboré made attacking runs down his flank all match, and the 20-year-old made a smooth run to cross for Konaté. The imposing striker chested the service down and shot low towards goal where Tapsoba applied a deflection to beat Hankuye for his second goal.
Only a couple of minutes later, Horoya AC left back Oula Traoré sent a cross of his own in to find Tapsoba, who slipped as he attempted to complete his hat-trick. His scuffed shot went across the goal mouth where Kaboré was there to finish from close range for his first goal as a professional. By the the completion of the 60th minute, the Stallions had four goals when a ball was played behind the Djibouti defense by Zakaria Sanogo for Konaté to run onto, just beating a defender and Hankuye to poke the ball under the keeper.
Burkina Faso will be glad to earn the victory without some of their star players, and will attempt to score as many as possible in the second meeting against Djibouti. Highlights are in the link below.
