Angola start convincingly but Mali rally late to steal a point

It was a subdued rather than celebratory start to the African Cup of Nations with a silence being observed for those within the Togo party whose lives were taken.

The Togo squad left Angola after their government announced that the players had to return.

With this backdrop, most people were hoping that football would return to the top of the agenda and the crowd packed into the 11 de Novembre National Stadium in Luanda did their best to liven the spirits.

The opening goal came on 36 minutes and a free kick on the left was the start of the move that got the home fans roaring their approval.

Flavio was given plenty of time and space and the striker stooped to grab the first goal of the tournament.

It was 2-0 just before half-time and it was Flavio again, this time heading home a cross from the right hand side.

Mali were virtually non-existent in the first half but there was a renewed energy in the second half. With Sevilla striker Freddy Kanoute in the line-up, you would have expected more from the side but even though their second half performance was improved, it was still far short of what was required.

Angola grabbed a third goal from the penalty spot and even though Flavio was on a hat-trick, Gilberto put the ball in the net twice. Yes, the player was ordered to re-take his kick but kept his cool in the 67th minute to make the score 3-0.

7 minutes later and another penalty saw Angola take a 4-0 lead. This time it was Manucho who benefited from Gilberto being fouled and the host nation were in party time.

Mali grabbed a consolation goal with around ten minutes left to play, bringing a bit of respectability to the score line. With two other group games to go, this could bring about a bit of confidence allowing the team to bounce back in their remaining games.

Losing the opening game is no reason to think the tournament is over and the strike by Keita would have lifted Mali spirits.

The goal will be a boost for those who like to watch the African Cup of Nations to see some erratic goalkeeping and Angolan keeper Carlos Fernandes did not disappoint. It was his fumble which created confusion in the box and allowed Mali to grab a foothold in the game.

Things got even better for Mali when Freddi Kanoute grabbed a goal on the 88 to make the score far more respectable.

The Sevilla striker powered home a strong header which gave Fernandes no chance.

Amazingly, the Mali fightback continued from here and Keita struck in the 90th minute to make it 4-3. With four minutes of injury time to go, it was no shock to see Mali score again and Yatabare leveled the game to cap one of the most unbelievable finished the African Cup of Nations has ever seen.

The home fans could not believe the end to this match and the amazing fight-back from Mali!

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