AFCON 2021
Hosts Cameroon got the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations underway with a victory over Burkina Faso on Sunday evening.
Captain Vincent Aboubakar scored twice from the spot to give the Indomitable Lions a 2-1 victory at the new Olembe stadium in Yaounde.
Gustavo Sangare gave the Burkinabes the lead with a ferocious volley after 24 minutes following a defensive error in the Cameroon box.
Cameroon won a penalty 12 minutes later after Burkinabe captain Bertrand Traore's clumsy challenge on André Anguissa.
Aboubakar stepped up and slotted past the Stallions goalkeeper Koffi.
At the stroke of halftime, Aboubakar dispatched a second penalty after a foul on Fai Collins by Issoufou Dayo.
In the day's other fixture, ten-man Ethiopia lost 1-0 to Cape Verde. A Julio Tavares close-range header secured the Blue Sharks' victory against the Walias who had been reduced to 10 men following Yared Bayeh’s early dismissal.
Action in Group A returns on Thursday with Cameroon taking on Ethiopia and Burkina Faso entertaining Cape Verde.
02:19
Theater festival offers solace in Burkina Faso
Go to video
Cameroon: At least 4 dead and dozens missing after landslide in country's West region
02:19
Burkinabe playwright aims to break the silence about rape
02:24
Granite art impresses tourists and residents at Laongo symposium, Burkina Faso
02:20
'Balau': A rare Burkinabe-Congolese collaboration in Germany
01:12
President Paul Biya's continued absence in Cameroon sparks health concerns