Equtorial Guinea advanced to the next round of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after leading Group A of the tournament.
A government statement released Tuesday said Obiang Nguema, the world's longest-standing ruler, had watched excitedly as the team won on Monday.
The government also declared a public holiday after the team humiliated the Ivorians in Abidjan to finish ahead of the AFCON hosts and heavyweight contenders Nigeria.
Obiang Nguema’s son and the nation’s vice president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, promised an additional $54,000 to the squad for every goal that was scored against the Ivorians.
The West African country of around 1.5 million people has had only two presidents since independence from Spain in 1968. Obiang ousted his uncle Francisco Macias Nguema in a coup in 1979 and has been accused by critics of amassing great personal wealth despite doing little to pull the country out of poverty.
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