The long-awaited African football extravaganza began with a win for hosts Cameroon, who fought back from a goal down to defeat Burkina Faso, thanks to two penalties from attacker Vincent Aboubakar.
Burkina Faso startled Cameroon in the first half when Gustavo Sangaré scored in the 24th minute with a brilliant effort into the left corner of the net. Cameroon was rocked for a while but eventually won owing to two successful penalties by Aboubakar soon before halftime, which were sparked by two clumsy tackles from the Burkinabé defense. The tournament hosts never looked back in the second half, dominating play.
FULL-TIME! ⏰ #TeamCameroon 2️⃣-1️⃣ #TeamBurkinaFaso
— CAF (@CAF_Online) January 9, 2022
Cameroon earn all 3️⃣ points despite being a goal down near the end of the first 45’ ✔️
The hosts mean business 🦁 #TotalEnergiesAFCON2021 | #AFCON2021 | #CMRBFA pic.twitter.com/IhkEXJlxuN