Hosts Cameroon beat Burkina Faso 2-1 in Africa Cup of Nations opener

Cameroon's Vincent Aboubakar, who scored two penalties in their victory over Burkina Faso in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations opener, celebrates one of his goals, January 9, Yaoundé. © Kenzo Tribouillard, AFP

The long-awaited African football bonanza kicked off with a win for hosts Cameroon as they came back from behind to prevail over Burkina Faso, with two penalties from striker Vincent Aboubakar powering them to victory.

Burkina Faso stunned Cameroon in the first half when Gustavo Sangaré gave them the lead with a masterly finish into the left hand corner of the net in the 24th minute. Cameroon looked rattled for some time but prevailed thanks to two successful penalties by Aboubakar just before half-time, prompted by two clumsy challenges from the Burkinabé defence. The tournament hosts never looked back – dominating play in the second half.

Look at FRANCE 24's liveblog below to see how the match unfolded.

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