LIBREVILLE: The African Cup of Nations surprised, delighted and bewildered on Saturday, as it tends to do, with a rank outsider stunning the hosts on opening day and Cameroon captain Benjamin Moukandjo scoring a wonderful goal.

Gabon’s tournament began in the capital Libreville with a pair of 1-1 draws, starting with the hosts and striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, one of the hottest properties in European football, shocked by a 90th-minute equaliser by a Guinea-Bissau team of lower-league battlers playing in their first major tournament.

Juary Soares’ goal on the stroke of full-time cancelled out the 52nd-minute opener from Borussia Dortmund’s Aubameyang at the Stade de l’Amitie in the Group ‘A’ curtain-raiser.

It is all square in the section after four-time winners Cameroon had to settle for a point with Burkina Faso in the day’s second game.

Moukandjo put Cameroon ahead with a superb 34th-minute free-kick and they had two more gilt-edged chances to secure the victory. But the Indomitable Lions failed to take them and paid the price as Issoufou Dayo equalised in the 72nd minute.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2017