Two penalites from Vincent Aboubakar secured Cameroon’s three points on the AFCON opening Match against Burkina Faso.
The game ended 3-1 with all three goals scored in the first half of the enthralling encounter.
Burkina Faso’s Steeve Yago escaped with only a yellow card in the first minute of the match following a high footed tackle that could easily have seen The Stallions reduced to ten men.
They took the game to the host after the incident and their pressure paid off when a cross from Bertrand Traoré was fired into the roof of the net by Gustavo Sangare in the 24th minute.
Poor defending was Burkina Faso’s undoing. Two fouls within the space of five minutes were punished by Aboubakar to give the host nation the type of start they hoped for.
The Nations was delayed a year by the coronavirus pandemic, but the first game in the Olembe Stadium, which followed a colourful opening ceremony, served up an absorbing contest.