Sports Desk
The Africa Cup of Nations saw a day of upsets after Equatorial Guinea beat holders Algeria, while Ivory Coast and Mali were both held to stalemates by unfancied opponents.
Equatorial Guinea pulled off one of the biggest shocks ever seen at the tournament when it outclassed Algeria 1-0, ending a run of 35 unbeaten internationals and relegating the defending champion to last place in Group E.
Its heroics in Douala has shaken up the tournament where many of the heavyweight contenders have been caught off guard.
But few would have expected Algeria, unbeaten since October 2018, to go down to a country with a population of just 1.4 million.
Defender Esteban Obiang scored from a corner in the 70th minute to keep up a day of upsets after debutants Gambia held Mali and Sierra Leone, competing at the finals for the first time since 1996, was gifted a last gasp equalizer to draw 2-2 with a powerful Ivory Coast team.
Only Tunisia ensured some normality as it beat Mauritania 4-0 in Limbe to revive its hopes in Group F.
Algeria’s defeat leaves it needing a win over Ivory Coast in its last group match Thursday to stand any chance of advancing to the last 16.
The Ivorians were earlier held to a draw when their goalkeeper Badara Ali Sangare bizarrely lost control of the ball and let it slip under his body and back toward goal, allowing Sierra Leone’s Alhaji Kamara to gleefully snap up the chance to force a 2-2 draw.
Sierra Leone had already made its mark after holding Algeria to a goalless draw in their opening game.
It twice went behind after Sebastien Haller and Nicolas Pepe scored for Ivory Coast but it kept looking for chances and was rewarded with some good fortune in the end.
Gambia also rode its luck as it was awarded a last-minute penalty to draw 1-1 with Mali in Group F.
Both goals in the match were scored from spot kicks after the referee had consulted the video assistant referee (VAR). Mali went ahead in the 78th minute through Ibrahima Kone before Musa Barrow equalized after a fortuitous last-gasp handball call.
Gambia, competing at its first final, shares the top place in Group F with Mali on four points, one ahead of Tunisia.
Tunisia revived its chances and eliminated Mauritania, who joins Zimbabwe as the teams heading home.
On Monday, Group A will be decided with host Cameroon up against the Cape Verde Islands and Burkina Faso taking on Ethiopia.
