Cameroon beat Burkina Faso 2-1 in the oppening game of the African Cup of Nations. The hosts got the win by turning the game around with 2 penalty goals.
Vincent Aboubakar scored twice from the spot in the first half. The 29-year-old striker also put tha ball in the net in the second half, but an offside denied his hattrick.
Burkina Faso's Gustavo Sangaré gave gave them the lead midway through the first half, scoring the first goal of the tournament.
After an eventful start of the game, the visiotrs managed to materialise their first real chance. In the 23rd minute, Bertrand Traoré's header was cleared off the line, that was followed by a mix of a cross and a shot by Sangaré, which hit the bar. Finally, a third cross left keeper André Onana in no man's land and Sangaré put the ball in the empty net with a tidy finish.
Cameroon replied in the 37th minute. Captain Bertrand Traoré made a clumsy tackle on Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa. Initially, the refferee did not react, but after a VAR check, he awarded a penalty. Up stepped Aboubakar, who converted for 1-0.
In added time, Cameroon even managed to get the lead. Issoufou Dayo made a reckless tackle and that resulted in another penalty, which captain Aboubakar scored again.
Burkina Faso were clearly stunned by the events and failed to fight back after the break. An hour into the game, Vincent Aboubakar completed his hat-trick, but his goal was rulled out for offside after a VAR check.
Eventually, the scored remained unchanged till the end. With the win, Cameroon top group A.
