FANS were left in shock as a former Middlesbrough star became the first Africa Cup of Nations hat-trick scorer in 16 years – and then helped perform an unforgettable celebration.
Equatorial Guinea opened their tournament with a 1-1 draw against Nigeria over the weekend.
EMILIO NSUE GETS THE HAT-TRICK! 3⃣
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 18, 2024
The first hat-trick in AFCON since 2008! What a celebration!pic.twitter.com/fcQbOhFmuJ
But they took a huge step towards qualification for the knockouts as they romped to a 4-2 victory over Guinea-Bissau.
Emilio Nsue, who helped Boro to promotion in 2016 and later starred for Birmingham City, was the hero after his treble.
The 34-year-old, who now plays for Intercity in Spain, broke the deadlock in the first half and then grabbed a second six minutes after the break.
That put his side into a 3-1 lead, but things were about to get even better in the 61st minute.
The star, who predominantly featured at full-back or wing-back while in England, then rounded the goalkeeper and slotted home.
Nsue’s celebrations were quickly cut short due to a linesman’s offside flag, but VAR stepped in to confirm he had been onside, sparking wild scenes.
Every outfield Equatorial Guinea player charged towards the corner flag and tucked their shirts into their shorts.
Midfielder Pablo Ganet then took charge of the routine and jumped up to head a pretend ball to his right.
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He followed that up by doing the same thing to his left as his team-mates copied.
But Ganet saved the best for last as he performed a Michael Jackson-esque dance move while popping his chest and then finishing off with another imaginary header.
“Best routine celebration of the tournament,” declared one viewer on Twitter.
Another wrote: “Peak football, look at them celebrations.”
While a third added: “Nothing but love for this.”
Nsue’s treble was the first hat-trick at Afcon since Morocco’s Soufiane Alloudi achieved the feat in a 5-1 win against Namibia.
He completed that in 28 minutes, making him still the quickest hat-trick scorer in the tournament’s history.
Equatorial Guinea did go on to concede late on but have now taken four points from their opening two Group A matches.
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