Burkina Faso coach Paul Put says he is the happiest coach at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations after his side made it to the semi-finals.
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The Stallions were given little chance ahead of the tournament yet came first in their group that included Nigeria, 2012 AFCON winners Zambia and Ethiopia.
They are now one step away from the final, with pre-tournament favourites Ghana awaiting them in the last-four.
Against Togo they had to deal with the lethal Emmanuel Adebayor who came close to scoring, but it was not to be for the Sparrow Hawks as Jonathan Pitroipa scored the decisive goal.
Nevertheless, their unexpected success has brought joy not only to the team, but to the Burkinabe nation as well.
"Congratulations to my players and a befitting birthday present to our president (Blaise Compaoré, who has ruled the country since 1987). It's like a never-ending story," Put said.
"I'm the happiest coach of this tournament now as all we worked on in training came to play today."
Put was relieved to see his side triumph in a tough West African derby, adding: "There are always doubts when we got to extra time, but the players were very patient and we got more possession of the ball than Togo.
"Physically, they surprised me with what they gave today, but the will was there and so too now the reward."
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