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BATA. — Congo Brazzaville celebrated a historic night at the African Cup of Nations on Wednesday while 2013 runners-up Burkina Faso saw their hopes of reaching the last eight seriously compromised.Congo claimed their first win at the finals in more than four decades, beating Gabon 1-0 thanks to a Prince Oniangue goal to close in on qualification for the last eight from Group A.

Earlier, in the same group, hosts Equatorial Guinea held the Stallions of Burkina Faso to a 0-0 draw to leave both sides’ hopes in the balance.

It was a disappointing evening for Gabon, who knew that a win against Claude Le Roy’s Congo would take them through to the quarter-finals with a match to spare but who were left to rue profligate finishing.

Frederic Bulot came closest to giving the Panthers the lead from an early volley that was turned over the bar by Christoffer Mafoumbi in the Congo goal.

Congo managed to hold on until the interval and then got the breakthrough three minutes after the restart when Oniangue pounced to score after the Gabon defence failed to clear a corner.

And Gabon squandered a glorious chance to level the scores midway through the second half as Bulot, of English side Charlton Athletic, somehow sent the ball wide of the post with the goal gaping. Congo held on for their first win at the Cup of Nations since their run to the semi-finals in Egypt in 1974, leaving their veteran French coach Le Roy to heap praise on his players.

“I have practically never had a team that works so well tactically, even if we are lacking in certain areas,” said Le Roy, who is appearing at his eighth Cup of Nations as a coach. — AFP.