The first two matches at the 31st edition of the Africa Cup of Nations(AFCON) in Libreville, the Gabonese capital, all ended in 1-1 draw.
In the first match, host nation Gabon were held by Guinea-Bissau, while in the second Cameroon found their early lead wiped out by Burkina Faso in the second half.
All the four teams are in Group A.
The Gabon team scored their first goal through former African Player of the Year, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the 52nd minute.
The lead was cut short in extra time when Guinea-Bissau’s Juary Soares slotted in teh equaliser at the Stade de l’Amitie.
The second match was slightly delayed because of some technical problems. When hostilities ended, the game was a mirror image of the first. Cameroon scored first with a goal by Benjamin Moukandjo in the 35th minute.
But Issoufou Dayo made sure Burkina Faso shared the points when he found the net in the 75th minute, in the generally fast paced game.
The stadium was almost full during the first match played by the hosts in contrast to the scanty crowd that watched the opening ceremony.
Among the performers at the start of the ceremony were Nigerian recording artist Davido, Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz, Franco-Senegalese rapper Booba, Cameroonian Franko alongside Congolese musicians Lumino and Mohombi.
Meanwhile, CAF has apologised for the technical incident due to a sound system failure, which disrupted the kick-off of the Burkina Faso – Cameroon encounter.
“The Confédération Africaine de Football and the Local Organizing Committee of the Total Africa Cup of Nations Gabon 2017, apologize to the teams, officials, supporters and viewers for the unfortunate incident”, CAF said on its website.
