Star gamers Mohamed Salah and Victor Osimhen confronted a difficult starting within the Africa Cup of Nations as Sunday unfolded as a day favoring the underdog.
Salah needed to convert a late penalty to salvage Egypt from potential embarrassment, securing a 2-2 draw in opposition to Mozambique.
Meanwhile, Osimhen couldn’t propel Nigeria to a victorious begin, because the “Super Eagles” had been held to a 1-1 tie by Equatorial Guinea of their opening match.
Ghana, a four-time champion, suffered a last-minute objective, shedding 2-1 to Cape Verde.
This defeat maintained Cape Verde’s spectacular document of by no means shedding their opening recreation in 4 Africa Cup tournaments.
“It’s a big team in Africa, in the world. Ghana has a lot of good players. But we showed tonight that we have a good team and good players and deserved to win,” Cape Verde veteran Ryan Mendes mentioned.
Cheers for Mozambique
Salah stayed cool to attain from the spot within the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time after Domingos was adjudged to have fouled Mostafa Mohamed in a VAR evaluate.
That denied Mozambique its first-ever event win on the thirteenth try.
But the crew was nonetheless cheered on by the vast majority of followers on the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium.
Salah had additionally arrange Mohamed to fireplace within the opener within the second minute of the Group B recreation.
The stadium, which had been filling up with Ghana and Cape Verde followers for the later match on the similar venue, erupted when Mozambique winger Witi equalized with a header to Domingos’ cross within the fifty fifth and once more three minutes later when Clesio Bauque fired the underdogs in entrance.
“It’s not the names that play, it’s the team, it’s everybody,” mentioned Mozambique defender Reinildo. “We all save, we all play, we all score, we all concede. That’s what does it.”
Fans booed when the seven minutes of harm time had been introduced, and cries of “Mozambique, Mozambique” rang across the stadium.
But Salah confirmed no nerves as he salvaged some extent for “The Pharaohs” as they started their bid for a record-extending eighth title.
Nigeria held
Osimhen scored however missed a number of good probabilities as Equatorial Guinea held on to attract 1-1.
Goalkeeper Jesus Owono produced a string of saves to frustrate three-time champion Nigeria within the second half after Osimhen had equalized within the first.
Nigeria dominated from the beginning, solely to be caught within the thirty sixth minute when José Machín arrange Iban Salvador to fireplace Equatorial Guinea forward.
Osimhen replied round a minute later when Ademola Lookman’s deflected cross dropped kindly for him to move in on the far publish.
The outcome leaves coach Jose Peseiro’s crew underneath stress going into Thursday’s recreation in opposition to host nation Ivory Coast, which began the event Saturday with a 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau.
Ghana lose opener
Cape Verde substitute Garry Rodrigues scored in stoppage time for a 2-1 win over four-time champion Ghana in Group B.
The “Blue Sharks” acquired off to a terrific begin, with Jamiro Monteiro scoring within the seventeenth minute on a rebound from Jovane Cabral’s preliminary shot saved by Richard Ofori within the Ghana objective.
Marshaled on the again by Roberto “Pico” Lopes and Logan Costa, Cape Verde’s protection largely handled Ghana’s speedy ahead line of Jordan Ayew, Antoine Semenyo, and Joseph Paintsil.
Majeed Ashimeru thought he’d equalized within the thirty sixth with a long-range strike contained in the left publish after Ransford-Yeboah Konigsdorffer’s header had ricocheted off the publish for Ghana.
But a VAR test deemed the retreating Konigsdorffer was in an offside place and blocking the goalkeeper’s view.
The “Black Stars” lastly equalized when Alexander Djiku headed into Ayew’s nook within the 56th.
Paintsil went shut shortly afterward, as coach Chris Hughton’s halftime speak evidently had the specified impact on his gamers.
He despatched on Inaki Williams, Ernest Nuamah, and veteran Andre Ayew, who equaled a document by enjoying in eight Africa Cups.
Cape Verde’s substitute had the ultimate say, nevertheless.
Source: www.dailysabah.com