After several hitches, the 2015 Cup of African Nations finally kicked off in Bata earlier today, with the host nation taking on the might of Congo in the opening Group A game.
Two games were contested on the opening day, the hosts taking on Congo whilst Burkina Faso challenged Gabon.
A late equaliser earned Congo a hard fought 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea, whilst in the second game Gabon breezed past Group favourites Burkina Faso 2-0.
This particular AFCON has been beset with tons of challenges, with the increasing Ebola threat having put it in danger of being cancelled. Equatorial Guinea finally stepped up to the plate to host, but the challenges have not subsided, with organisers battling logistical challenges.
The opening game was a lively affair, the hosts buoyed by a lively crowd whilst Congo, managed by former Ghana coach Claude Le Roy and conquerors of Nigeria in qualifying, representing a worthy challenge.
The match itself was a classic game of two halves, the hosts bossing the first whilst Congo took over for the second half. Both sides had numerous opportunities to win the game, but neither could quite land that killer blow.
The hosts though would feel a little hard done by, with Congo’s equaliser coming just three minutes from time after a half of dominance.
Emilio Insue got the tournament and host’s opening goal, with Thievy Bifouma hitting the equaliser for Claude Le Roy’s men.
Even with the late nature of their equaliser, Congo could have won; but their profligacy on the day continued into stoppage time and the incredible chances they created were all missed.
2013 Afcon finalists Burkina Faso were shocked 2-0 by Gabon, who was ably led by their skipper, Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The German based speedster opened the scoring in the 19th minute of the day’s second game, before Malick Evouna sealed the win in the 72nd minute.
Goalkeeper Ovono was the real hero of the day though, carrying out several acrobatic saves to keep an incredibly determined Burkina Faso side at bay throughout the 90 minutes.
Jonathan Pitroipa, Bertrand Traore, and Alain Traore all came agonisingly close for Burkina Faso, but Ovono was in fine form to deny each one chance after chance.
In the end, the side that lost the final of the last tournament were made mince meat of by minnows Gabon, to set up an interesting second round of matches in Group A of the tournament.
Gabon leads the group on 3 points, followed by the hosts and Congo on a point each, with Burkina Faso propping up the group with no points.
The games resume Sunday, DR Congo taking on Zambia at 1600 GMT, whilst Tunisia and Cape Verde contest the second game of the day.