LIBREVILLE, Gabon - The African Cup of Nations surprised, delighted and bewildered Saturday, as it tends to do, with a rank outsider stunning the host on opening day and Cameroon captain Benjamin Moukandjo scoring a wonderful goal.
Teams were also forced to abandon singing their national anthems because of technical problems, and another squad was on strike and refusing to train, requiring a delegation of 100 government officials from their country to fly in to resolve the problem.
Gabon’s tournament began in the capital Libreville with a pair of 1-1 draws, starting with the host and striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, one of the hottest properties in European soccer, shocked by a 90th-minute equalizer by a Guinea-Bissau team of lower-league battlers playing in their first major tournament.
Defender Juary Soares’ header, just as the clock hit 90 minutes at Stade de l’Amitie, threw up an unexpected start and meant Aubameyang’s goal wasn’t enough to give Gabon a winning start. Soares plays for a second division side in Portugal, but he took the limelight from Bundesliga top-scorer Aubameyang when he rose to meet a free kick right at the end and angled his header into the bottom corner.
The free kick was provided by Guinea-Bissau’s own star, midfielder Zezinho. But he’s a star in a different galaxy to Aubameyang. Instead of the Champions League, Zezinho lights up the Greek Superleague.
In the second game, which follows swiftly at the same stadium in the African Cup’s early stages, Cameroon and Burkina Faso players were left bemused after no music played for their anthems. The players attempted acapella versions, gave up, and were on the field limbering up for kickoff when the music kicked in. They didn’t bother going back. Organizers the Confederation of African Football apologized for the technical glitch.
Moukandjo was on-song though, sending a sweet free kick into the top left corner to give Cameroon a deserved lead. In an ending reminiscent of the first game, Burkina Faso defender Issoufou Dayo roamed forward for a free kick and eventually forced a header home for the equalizer.
While the action began in Libreville, Congo’s squad was into a second day of a strike in the remote town of Oyem over unpaid bonuses. The players posted a video on social media with them all huddled together and explaining their grievances.
Meanwhile, Congo sports minister Willy Bakonga flew to Gabon with 99 aides to sort things out. Also, Togo coach Claude le Roy complained that his squad had been left stranded at Libreville’s crowded airport for five hours Friday when their official transport failed to show up. — AP
