Two penalties from Vincent Aboubakar helped the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon narrowly beat Burkina Faso
By Kehinde Okeowo
AFCON host Cameroon began their campaign for the 6th title on a winning note after coming from behind to defeat Burkina Faso 2-1 in an intriguing encounter.
The Stallions were the quickest out of the blocks as Gustavo Sangare scored acrobatically in the 24th minute from a cross from Betrand Traore to give Burkina Faso a 1-0 lead.
Aston Villa forward Traore picked up the loose ball on the right wing and crossed to the back post for Sangare, who showed brilliant technique to send a first-time volley inside the left-hand upright.
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Cameroon equaliser came five minutes before the break when Traore clumsily brought down Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa in the penalty box.
The penalty was given after a video assistant referee review, and Aboubakar stepped forward and sent goalkeeper Herve Koffi the wrong way to level the score for Cameroon.
The hosts made it 2-1 when they got a second penalty in first-half injury time when Issoufou Dayo tripped Cameroon defender Tolo.
Cameroonian captain, Aboubakar, once again made no mistake as he dispatched the second penalty to score his brace.
In the second half, Onana stopped an ambitious long-range free-kick from Traore before denying Cyrille Bayala from close range to preserve the host lead.
Aboubakar was denied the opportunity to score a hat-trick after VAR ruled out his third goal as offside.
Cameroon, after getting the maximum 3 points in their group opener, will now look to get another win when they come up against Ethiopia on Tuesday.