Day two of the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON 2023) in Ivory Coast came with lots of shockers.
First, it was underdogs Equatorial Guinea holding Nigeria to a 1-1 draw in the second game of Group A.
Hosts, Ivory Coast had opened the tournament with a 2-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau on Saturday to pile pressure on the Super Eagles.
Ivan gave the Elephants the led towards the end of first half with a sublime first touch from the edge of the box following a fluid interplay before Victor Osimhen drew level less than two minutes after.
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While the Nigerian side had numerous goal-scoring chances to win the game in the second half, the resilience of the Elephants at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Ebimpe, Abidjan was a joy to behold.
In Group B, Egypt played out a 2-2 draw with Mozambique with Mohammed Salah rescuing a point for the Pharaohs late into the second half.
READ ALSO: Ivory Coast vs Guinea-Bissau: Hosts Dazzle in AFCON 2023 Opener
The Liverpool forward poked home a 95th minute penalty to survive a huge scare from the Mambas who were on the verge of a historic AFCON win.
Mostafa opened the scoring for Egypt just two minutes into the game as the seven-time champions held on to win the first half.
However, two quick goals from Mozambique quickly took the tie away from Salah and Co as Egypt searched for an equalizer.
Salah popped up to deliver the goods in the fifth minute of seven added minutes to prevent an embarrassing defeat.
While Nigeria and Egypt survived scarea, Ghana was edged out by Cape Verde, who were competing in only their second AFCON.
Substitute Garry Rodrigues pounced in injury time to give Cape Verde a shock 2-1 win over after Alexander Djiku headed home to cancel out a Jamiro Monteiro goal for Cape Verde at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.
Ghana had a Majeed Ashimeru goal following a lengthy VAR check, before the island nation grabbed all three points to top Group B as Egypt and Mozambique earlier drew.
Of course, it was a memorable evening for Andre Ayew, who became only the third player to feature in eight editions of the competition at age 34.
Rigobert Song, who currently manages Cameroon, and Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan are the other two holders of the record.
Ghana’s four AFCON wins are only bettered by Egypt and Cameroon, but their last title win came in far back 1982 and they went out of the last edition two years ago in the group stage.
The performance of the Black Stars has further rased concern for a country that lost to Comoros in a World Cup Qualifier in November.
One thing is certain though. The 38th edition of the biggest football showpiece has more surprises in stock for football fans.
