Defending champs Algeria on the brink of early elimination

DOUALA: Defending champions Algeria lost 1-0 to Equatorial Guinea in one of the biggestever upsets at the African Cup of Nations, with a defender who was playing in the fifth tier in Spain last year scoring the goal that beat Riyad Mahrez and his superstar teammates.

Esteban Obiang arrived at the back post to connect with a corner in the 70th minute for Equatorial Guinea’s winner, ending a four-year unbeaten run for the African champions and leaving their title defence in Cameroon in pieces.

Algeria fans dropped their heads and cried in the Japoma Stadium in Douala.

Algeria launched attack after desperate attack on the Equatorial Guinea goal in the last 10 minutes but Mahrez and his team couldn’t find a way past 20-year-old goalkeeper Jesús Owono.

Algeria had two goals correctly disallowed for offside, one in the first half and one in that frantic search for an equalizer.

After being surprisingly held 0-0 by Sierra Leone in their first game, Algeria are bottom of Group E going into a final group game against former champions Ivory Coast.

It seemed the African Cup couldn’t possibly throw up any more surprises on Sunday after minnows Sierra Leone and Gambia had secured draws dripping with drama.

Sierra Leone capitalised on a terrible goalkeeper error deep in injury time for a 2-2 draw against two-time champions

Ivory Coast in the other Group E game.

Gambia converted a 90thminute penalty for a 1-1 draw with Mali that left tournament debutants Gambia incredibly at the top of Group F ahead of former champions Tunisia and Mali with just one more round of group games to play.

Gambia and Mali both scored penalties that were awarded after VAR checks. Ibrahima Kone converted for Mali in the 79th minute. But Gambia, who had earlier hit the post and the crossbar with free kicks, saved a point through Mussa Barrow in the last minute.

In the other game in that group, Tunisia recovered convincingly from their highly contentious loss to Mali to beat Mauritania as expected, and provide the only game that went according to expectations. Tunisia won 4-0, were 2-0 up after eight minutes, and captain Wahbi Khazri scored a double in a match that might have attracted more attention on any other day.

Previously best known for being the smallest country in mainland Africa, Gambia are unbeaten in their first two games at a major tournament, having won against Mauritania in their opener.

In a disastrous finish for Ivory Coast against Sierra Leone, goalkeeper Badra Ali Sangare landed awkwardly while trying to gather a header back from one of his defenders that was going out for a corner, and the ball slipped out of his grasp, allowing Alhaji Kamara to score Sierra Leone’s equaliser in the 93rd minute.