Africa's biggest sporting event, the 28th Africa Cup of Nations, kicks off today in Equatorial Guinea. The vuvuzelas are out in force, and the fans are dancing and drumming up a storm. The home team faced Libya for the opening match in the well appointed Estadio de Bata, located in the coastal city of Bata, the country's largest city.
The Libyans were expected to win, as they were by far the strongest team on paper. They wore a new all-white team kit, since the old green outfits reflected Gaddafi's (now dead) revolution. But Equatorial Guinea squad - Nzalang Nacional (National Lightning) pulled an upset, and won 1-0. Perhaps the extra incentive to win -- a million US dollars, and $20,000 per goal offered by the free-spending son of the current president of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, helped.
Senegal (Teranga Lions), faced Zambia (The Copper Bullets) in the second match of the day. It proved to be another upset as the Copper Bullets celebrated a 2-1 victory. If you're traveling in Zambia right now, you should be having a very very festive time of it!
On Sunday 22 January, Ivory Coast (The Elephants) took on Sudan (Nile Crocodiles) in Malabo (Equatorial Guinea's capital city). They were the favorites but made hard work of squeaking a 1 -0 win. The winning goal was scored by the legendary Drogba. And Burkina Faso (The Stallions) lost to Angola (Black Antelopes) (1-2) , also in Malabo. A very successful starting weekend. Next up, the games move to Libreville, the capital of Gabon, which is co-hosting the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
Check back for an update on the scores, and more news about the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
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