Sadio Mane’s late penalty secured Senegal a bright start at AFCON2021
Morocco beat Ghana to begin AFCON 2021 on a high
Nigeria face Egypt in Group D opener
Day two of the Africa Cup of Nations saw some giants on the continent in action as they kick-started their respective group games.
Four games in Group B and C took place in two stadiums, the Bafoussam Omnisport Stadium and Stadehmadou Ahidjo Stadium.
In Group B, Senegal started the matchday in a close contest against Zimbabwe. The fixture was decided by an injury time penalty, which Sadio Mane converted to hand the ‘Lions of Teranga’ a winning start.
Also, in the same group, Guinea faced Malawi in a late afternoon kick-off. Guinea’s Issiga Sulla’s 35th-minute strike made the difference between the two sides.
Following their respective victories, Guinea and Senegal are tied at the top of the group with three points each while Malawi and Zimbabwe share 3rd and 4th place.
In the same vein, Group C produced the same results as Group B, with both matches ending in 1-0 score lines.
The biggest fixture on the day two lineup saw four-time champions- Ghana- take on the Atlas Lions of Morocco.
The match, which looked evenly contested, was decided by an 81st-minute goal by Sofiane Boufal to hand the Black Stars an unwanted start to the tournament.
Also in the group, newcomers Comoros fell to Gabon in a late kick-off when Aaron Salem scored a beautiful goal from an acute angle.
Morocco and Gabon share the top spot, with Comoros occupying the 3rd place, leaving Ghana at the rock bottom of the table.
The AFCON 2021 enters day three today, January 11, 2022, with three matches in Group D and E coming up.
Nigeria takes on Egypt in a crunch Group D opener at 16:00 GMT. Whereas, in the same group, Sudan face Guinea-Bissau at 19:00 GMT.
Meanwhile in Group E, one game will be played today, where reigning champions Algeria begin their title defence against Sierra Leone.
