Esteban Orozco (Zaragoza, 1998) was, at least for a few hours, the most popular person in Africa. His was the goal with which Guinea Equatorial, one of the most modest teams on the African continent, beat Algeria 0-1, who had gone 35 games and almost three years without kneeling. Mahrez, Feghouli, Mandi, Bounedjah or Brahimi. They were all overshadowed by Orozco and the Equatorial Guinea ‘family’, a team made up largely of players who play in the Spanish football pyramid. “In football, when you jump onto the field the figures and the names disappear. In there we are only 11 against 11. And the best wins, who deserves it the most. We had respect for them, but not fear. We played a good game, we competed until the end and we took the victory”, reflects in AS an Esteban Orozco who went through the Real Betis youth academy and currently plays for Antequera, in the Second RFEF, with whose shirt he has not debuted this season – He doesn’t even have a card.
After losing on the first day against the Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea faced the match against the defending Africa Cup champion, Algeria, with the need to obtain a positive result. “We deserved more against the Ivory Coast and we thought that if we played in the same way and with the same attitude we could do a lot of damage to Algeria. We went out to win, we never speculated on the result”, discovers Orozco, who in the 70th minute ‘hunted ‘ a ball inside the area that he scored the first and only goal of the match: “When I saw the ball coming towards me I didn’t think anything, just to put it in. After that a lot of things went through my head. I felt a lot of emotions. I thought of everything what I had worked to get there, in my family, the group… We deserved that victory. I scored the goal, but 100% of Equatorial Guinea and all my teammates felt it was theirs“.
“We’ve done something historic, but if we don’t complete it, it won’t do any good”
Stephen Orozco
When Esteban Orozco saw that the ball was inside the goal, he ran towards the stands, visibly excited. “I shed a few tears. From emotion. It was a very important goal against a huge team like Algeria. It’s something that doesn’t happen every day. On top of that, in August I got injured and the doctors told me that I would arrive just for the Africa Cup. I worked hard to recover and seeing my name on the squad was a great joy.“reveals the Equatorial Guinean centre-back, who after hugging all his teammates shouted ‘I love you’ to the camera: “I’m going to be a father. My girl is going to be born now and I don’t know if I’m going to be back in time to be with my girlfriend in childbirth. I dedicated it to them.” Orozco received a barrage of congratulations. So many that he doesn’t even know if he has responded to all of them: “I have tried, but if there is someone to whom I have not responded, I thank him and take the opportunity to apologize.” .
Equatorial Guinea experienced a magical night, but the truth is that it still they will have to overcome Sierra Leone to secure a place in the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations. “We celebrated it as we had to, but the next day we were already thinking about the game against Sierra Leone. We have done something historic, but if we don’t finish it, it won’t do any good,” warns Orozco, who rejects any comparison with the ‘Nzalang Nacional’ who reached the semi-finals of the African Cup in 2015: “It is true that there are players here who have already been in that championship, but that was one team and this is another. It will sound like a cliché, but we go game by game. Any fan whoever watched the match against the Ivory Coast might have thought we were here for a walk. And if he watched the match against Algeria, he may believe that we are going to win the tournament. But that is not the case. We are going step by step. To get a good result against Sierra Leona is already overcoming obstacles little by little.” Esteban Orozco is prudent, but he dares to dream of “continuing to bring joy to the country.”
His mother died after giving birth
Esteban Orozco feels “Spanish and Equatorial Guinean in equal parts.” When her mother was in an advanced state of pregnancy, the pregnancy became complicated and part of her family decided that she should travel from Equatorial Guinea to Zaragoza, where she gave birth: “A few days after having me he passed away. I spent two years with my biological family in Zaragoza and then my parents from Utrera adopted me, which is where I have spent my whole life.” Orozco says that his life is “divided between two countries”, although only one of them, Equatorial Guinea, It has allowed him to live the dream of being an international.” What I feel when I wear the ‘Nzalang Nacional’ shirt is indescribable. Totally different from anything else you can feel playing football. It is something that those who do not experience it cannot understand”, explains the current idol of all of Equatorial Guinea. 1.4 million people vibrated thanks to his goal, but “the merit belongs to everyone”. “It is important that everything the world knows this team,” he says.