A Congolese supporter grimaces before his side’s matchup against Zambia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015 in Ebebiyin, Equatorial Guinea (AP)
Africa Cup of Nations Group B rivals Tunisia and Cape Verde battled to a 1-1 draw Sunday as Heldon netted a penalty late in the 2nd half.
At the 70th minute, Mohamed Ali Moncer netted home a strong right-footed shot giving the Tunisian side optimism they would come out on top. But Heldon, who plays for Sporting Lisbon, led the charge to bring Cape Verde from behind with his penalty goal in the 77th minute.
In the other Group B matchup on Day Two of Africa’s premier football tournament, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo drew at 1 each.
Zambia’s Given Singuluma scored quickly against the DR Congo, just 1 minute into the match. But Yannick Bolasie tied the game in the 66th minute with a powerful shot from inside the box.
With Equatorial Guinea stepping in just nine weeks ago and agreeing to host the event, there’s been concern about how well organized the games will be.
The Zambia-Congo DR match saw some confusion, according to media reports, as thousands of people were either prevented from entering the stadium in the remote town of Ebebeyin, or were forced to be screened by Ebola.
Morocco had been scheduled to host the 2015 tournament, but was stripped of that right after the kingdom, fearing the spread of Ebola, had asked for a delay of several months.