AFCON: Hosts Cameroon Begin With Burkina Faso Win, Cape Verde Sink Ethiopia

10th January 2022

Captain Vincent Aboubakar scored a brace of penalties as Cameroon came from behind to beat Covid-ravaged Burkina Faso 2-1 in the opening game.

Vincent Aboubakar. PHOTO | Twitter
Vincent Aboubakar. PHOTO | Twitter
SUMMARY
  • Africa Cup of Nations hosts Cameroon got their tournament off to a great start as they battled to beat Burkina Faso 2-1 in Yaounde on Sunday
  • Burkina Faso were dealt a blow on the eve of the tournament when it emerged that coach Kamou Malo and several players had tested positive for the coronavirus
  • In the other game of the day, Julio Tavares scored the winner as Cape Verde began their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a 1-0 victory over Ethiopia who played most of the game with 10 men

Africa Cup of Nations hosts Cameroon got their tournament off to a great start as they battled to beat Burkina Faso 2-1 in Yaounde on Sunday.

Captain Vincent Aboubakar scored a brace of penalties as Cameroon came from behind to beat Covid-ravaged Burkina Faso 2-1 in the opening game.

Burkina Faso were dealt a blow on the eve of the tournament when it emerged that coach Kamou Malo and several players had tested positive for the coronavirus, leaving assistant coach Firmin Sanou to take charge of the team.

Gustavo Sangare had given Burkina Faso the lead in the Group A match at the Olembe Stadium, but Aboubakar equalised from the spot five minutes before the interval after a VAR review.

The 29-year-old, who netted the winner in the 2017 Cup of Nations final against Egypt, then scored what proved to be the decider in first-half stoppage time and he was only denied a hat-trick by an offside flag after the break.

Covid restrictions limited the crowd at the Olembe Stadium to 80 percent of its 60,000-capacity, but that did not spoil the party for the hosts and celebratory fireworks lit up the sky at full-time.

The match and opening ceremony were attended by Cameroon’s 88-year-old President Paul Biya, who has ruled the Central African country for 40 years, as well as FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Confederation of African Football supremo Patrice Motsepe.

In the other game of the day, Julio Tavares scored the winner as Cape Verde began their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a 1-0 victory over Ethiopia who played most of the game with 10 men.

The Saudi-based striker headed Cape Verde ahead in first-half stoppage time in Yaounde after Ethiopia had defender Yared Bayeh sent off with just 12 minutes gone.

Cape Verde, whose three Cup of Nations appearances at have all come since 2013, won for just the second time at the tournament and sit level on points with hosts Cameroon at the top of Group A.

Ethiopia faced an increasingly uphill challenge after Bayeh’s yellow card was upgraded to red following a VAR review for his tackle on Tavares as the Cape Verde player ran through on goal.

An inspired Shanko kept Ethiopia in the game with a string of stops, but they created little in attack to trouble Cape Verde and already look set for an early exit with games to come against Cameroon and Burkina Faso.