Shocks, tear gas open Nations Cup

Lowly Equatorial Guinea stunned Libya and Zambia upset Senegal as the African Nations Cup began with surprises as well as tear gas outside the stadium in Bata on Saturday.

Co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, whose starting line-up consisted entirely of players born abroad, beat Libya 1-0 thanks to a late strike by former Real Madrid player Javier Balboa in the first-half of a double bill.

Zambia then scored twice in the first quarter of the game on their way to a 2-1 win over Senegal, back in the tournament after astonishingly missing out in 2010.

The tournament is already without defending champions Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon and South Africa, who all failed to qualify.

Off the field, it was a less happy day for Equatorial Guinea, sharing the tournament with Gabon, as police used tear gas against fans trying to get into the ground.

Reuters photographs showed police firing tear gas to control supporters who apparently became impatient at delays getting into the stadium. There were no reports of injuries.

There was further embarrassment when most of the crowd left after Equatorial Guinea’s match, leaving Zambia and Senegal to play in a half-empty stadium.

The first match kicked off seven minutes late following the opening ceremony and a speech by President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mbasogo, which lasted several minutes with the teams lined up and ready for kicked off.