CONAKRY, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Rumours that Guinea could still qualify for the African Nations Cup semi-finals because a winning goal from Senegal had been disallowed brought tens of thousands of revellers on to the streets of Conakry overnight.
Senegal came from behind in a dramatic final half hour on
Friday to beat Guinea 3-2 on Friday, ending the underdog's hopes
of pulling off a major surprise after three successive wins.
Struggling to come to terms with their loss hours after the
match ended, fans in the central Conakry district of Kaloum
latched on to a rumour that Senegal's final goal had been
disallowed.
'Guinea has qualified through the back door!' shouted one
young female fan, to wolf-whistles from the crowd.
Celebrations quickly spread through the capital and other
towns across the country, with tens of thousands of flag-waving
supporters pouring on to the streets and some stoning shops
owned by Senegalese expatriates.
'It's mad that rumours can make people go hysterical here,'
said disappointed fan Mamoudou Souare as the news finally sank
in that Guinea had, in fact, been eliminated.
'One minute there are false rumours that the president's
dead, the next we've qualified for the semi-finals. You can
never trust information in this country,' he said.
