Iban Salvador's remarkable year took another turn as he scored a goal that help beat Gabon to send hosts Equatorial Guinea through to the quarterfinals of the African Nations Cup.
Iban, 19, was born in Barcelona but is eligible to play for the country through his grandfather, who moved to Spain in the 1960s.
The Valencia B forward only made his international debut on Jan. 7, but on Sunday he was the toast of his adopted nation after he rubber-stamped a shock 2-0 win over Gabon at the Estadio de Bata.
Iban came off the bench halfway through the second half and within 19 minutes he had scored an awkward tap-in after Emilio Nsue's shot had been parried by Gabon goalkeeper Didier Ovono.
Javier Balboa had put Equatorial Guinea ahead in the 55th minute when he converted a controversial penalty, which he won after a tumble in the box.
Equatorial Guinea only had a few weeks to assemble their team after they were chosen to host the tournament in light of the Ebola crisis.
Now, for the second time in their history, they are in the last eight, where they will face the winners of Group B.
Gabon lived up to their favourites tag in the early stages as they pressed the hosts, but they failed to make their dominance count and neither team looked capable of breaking the deadlock in a dull first half.
The best chance of the first period fell to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who fired a powerful header towards goal, but Equatorial Guinea goalkeeper Felipe Ovono pulled off a top-drawer save to deny the Borussia Dortmund forward.
Felipe Ovono kept Equatorial Guinea in the match just after the break with two more fine saves.
Then with 10 minutes of the second half gone the home fans jumped for joy as Balboa fell in the box after appearing to collide with Lloyd Palun.
Replays showed there was minimal contact between the two players, but after deliberating with his assistant, referee Noumandiez Doue awarded a penalty.
Balboa, who spent nine unsuccessful years at Real Madrid, held his nerve and calmly slotted the ball home.
Equatorial Guinea's substitutes rushed over to Balboa to celebrate with him in the corner.
And in the 86th minute Didier Ovono spilled Nsue's shot into Iban's path and he stabbed into an empty net to spark more wild celebrations.
Congo sealed their place in the African Nations Cup quarterfinals in dramatic fashion as Fabrice Ondama's late goal gave them a 2-1 win against Burkina Faso in Ebebiyin on Sunday.
Congo needed only to draw their final Group A match against 2013 finalists Burkina Faso to progress but sealed victory courtesy of Ondama's 87th-minute goal after Thievy Bifouma put them in front early in the second half.
Aristide Bance struck five minutes from time to draw Burkina Faso level but they crashed out of the tournament as they could not respond to Ondama's winner in the closing stages.
Victory for the Red Devils also secured top spot in Group A after Equatorial Guinea beat Gabon to also qualify.
Burkina Faso needed victory to retain any hopes of progressing to the knockout rounds and they had the first clear-cut chance of the game when Jonathan Pitroipa headed wide on five minutes.
Congo took a while to settle into the match and their only real chance of note in the first half fell to Bifouma, but his effort from 12 yards out could not find the target.
Djakaridja Kone had another chance to put Burkina Faso ahead seven minutes before half-time but could not take it.
Although the Evian midfielder's volley was sweetly struck, he could not keep it down and it cleared Christopher Mafoumbi's crossbar as the teams went into the interval on level terms.
Congo started the second half brightly and Ferebory Dore found himself unmarked as Francis Litsingi sent in a probing corner but his header sailed inches wide within a minute of the restart.
Dore then fluffed his lines when he side-footed wide from six yards out but it mattered little when his right-wing cross was turned in by Bifouma from close range in the 51st minute to give Congo the lead.