Former Ivory Coast defender Emmanuel Eboue informed the BBC earlier than the match that African sides have been prone to conceding late objectives due to a scarcity of focus.
His assertion was born out as DR Congo and the Ivorians each conceded winners within the 86th minute of their last-32 ties, whereas Canada scored within the second minute of added time to send South Africa home in the identical spherical.
Senegal (towards Belgium within the final 32) and Egypt (towards Argentina within the final 16) went from 2-0 up late on to 2-2 throughout the house of three and 5 minutes respectively. The Teranga Lions eventually lost to a 125th-minute penalty and the Pharaohs have been eradicated by Enzo Fernandez’s 92nd-minute header.
With Algeria and the Ivorians additionally conceding injury-time objectives when on the point of well-known leads to the group stage, it begs the query: do African groups have an issue closing out video games?
“I would not say it was a development. I believe it is simply unfortunate,” Dr Nikita Rowley, a chartered psychologist and course director for sport and train psychology at Coventry College, informed BBC Sport Africa.
“Each staff is extra prone to errors within the closing phases of a match. By that time gamers are experiencing each bodily and cognitive fatigue.
“That cognitive fatigue can have an effect on consideration, choice making, communication and makes extra lapses extra probably. Feelings will be heightened and each motion carries larger significance.
“The nearer you get to one thing historic, the extra psychologically demanding it could turn out to be.”
