Burkina Faso head coach Kamou Malo confirmed the severity of the injury picked up by Farid Ouedraogo in Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations third-place play-off clash against Cameroon remains unclear.
The goalkeeper was stretchered off in tears in the closing stages of the six-goal thriller at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde.
Ouedraogo fell awkwardly on his back after bumping into teammate Soumaila Ouattara while trying to stop a long cross from Olivier Mbaizo. Vincent Aboubakar profited from that muddle to tap in the Indomitable Lions’ equaliser.
After the 25-year-old was assessed by the Stallions’ medical crew, he was taken off the pitch with Aboubacar Sawadogo brought on as a replacement.
The USFA star will now be sent for tests as Malo waits to discover the extent of the goalie’s injury.
“We wait for the doctors to give us precise information on his situation, at the moment he's being treated, we’re waiting for news, we hope it’s just a case of more fear than bad news,” the 58-year-old tactician told GOAL.
With scores tied at 3-3, kicks from the penalty mark were used to separate the countries. And it was Toni Conceicao’s men who claimed the bronze medal after Andre Onana turned from villain to hero by stopping Ibrahim Toure’s effort.
Prior to the game, Burkina Faso players were aiming to return home with some pride after losing 3-1 to Senegal in the semi-final.
They would rue their inability to keep things tight in the defence despite leading by three goals – a situation that has left Malo mystified.
"To be winning by three goals and losing the game is unbelievable, we are still to come to terms with this defeat,” he told media during the post-match conference.
“In football, nothing is gained in advance and l am very sad. There is no word to describe my state of mind.”
The West African side’s best record in the biennial African football showpiece remains a second-place finish achieved in South Africa 2013.