Normal service resumed in the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday when Cameroon continued their quest to secure their fifth title. They top Group A after two matches and looked in much better touch against Guinea-Bissau after failing to pick up all three points against Burkina Faso.

Thursday holds the tantalising prospect of the North African derby between Algeria and Tunisia, but first, let’s recap what you might have missed on Wednesday.

Cameroon come from behind to beat Guinea-Bissau

A cracking strike from Piqueti in the 13th minute put shock qualifiers Guinea-Bissau ahead. As good of a goal as it was – from in front of the goal, nudged into the top left corner – Cameroon’s defence left much to be desired. Piqueti ran circles around three defenders who could have just stuck their feet out to put him off. Instead, they fumbled around like taxidermy lions rather than indomitable ones. So ropey was the defence that a taxidermy lion might have actually done a better job, but Cameroon pulled things back, scoring twice in the second half to secure the win. African wild dogs and lions don’t get on in the wild – turns out they don’t get along on the football pitch either. [BBC]

Hosts Gabon come from behind to draw with Burkina Faso

Things were back to normal in the action stakes in the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored his second goal of the tournament to help the hosts clinch a point from their second group match. A 38th minute penalty from the Borussia Dortmund striker put scores level after Prejuce Nakoulma put Burkina Faso ahead earlier. Herve Koffi, the Burkina Faso goalkeeper, was at fault for the penalty but made up for it with two critical saves – once early on and critically in the 81st minute. Gabon looked slightly more fluid in this fixture, though, and dominated possession (57%) and pressed forward constantly with five of their 13 shots on target. [Goal.com]

There’s a country for old men

Egypt’s Essam El-Hadary, who became the oldest player to feature in an AFCON tie on Monday, is now also the only fit goalkeeper in the squad. Ahmed El-Shenawy was stretchered off 23 minutes into their Group D encounter against Mali while Sherif Ekramy picked up a hamstring strain over the weekend. According to the tournament rules, as the Egyptian football association understand them anyway, a replacement player cannot be called up 24 hours after a team’s opening game of the tournament. [SuperSport.com]

Ghana Sports Ministry denies bonuses for the Black Stars have been fixed

Rumours are doing the rounds that Ghana’s players will be paid between $8,000 and $10,000 for wins at the Africa Cup of Nations. This follows earlier reports that the team agreed to “accept any win bonus proposal” from the government to show that they are playing for “more than money”. The ministry released a statement saying that no decision has been made on the amount the players will be paid but that “all key stakeholders” are being consulted in order to ensure “the ultimate decision would be in the best interest of Ghanaians”. [ghanasoccernet]

Goal drought

After round one, just 12 goals had been scored in eight games, an average of 1.5 per game. It’s slightly lower than the overall tournament average back in 2015 – 2.13 per game – but these are still early days. No goals doesn’t always mean boring either and after the snoozefest that was the Egypt vs Mali clash, pundits argued that it was actually one of the best tactical games of the tournament. They had a point, to an extent. Both sides were incredibly well coached, but most of the match was played in a rather congested midfield. Tactical teams will find a way to tussle their way out of tight situations like this one, but the two sides simply seemed to cancel each other out. Luckily there haven’t been too many fixtures quite as stodgy as this one and when Egypt or Mali face a team less afraid to take risks, we could see the floodgates open. The goalkeepers have, at times, been exceptional, so the scorelines certainly don’t always reflect the state of play.

Foul play

After the first round of matches, 275 fouls had been conceded. A few more were added to that tally after Wednesday’s fixtures, which tipped the total to over 300. These stats reflect the rough-and-tumble nature of this tournament. Things were particularly feisty when Ivory Coast played Togo with a total of 48 fouls recorded.

To the naughty step

With so many fouls in the tournament, it’s hardly surprising that there have already been over 20 yellow cards. None so far, though, for simulation, despite some seriously impressive play acting and time wasting by a few of the teams.

Quote of the day

“Young players look up to me. It is up to me to show on the field that I am still Adebayor, a footballer who loves the game. To be one of the most experienced players here warms my heart. It gives me pleasure even if emotionally it is tough.” – a footballer from Togo who loves the game.

Fact of the day

Of the eight teams to make their debut at the Africa Cup of Nations, only two have progressed past the group stages (Equatorial Guinea in 2012 and Cape Verde in 2013).

Wednesday’s results

Group A: Gabon 1-1 Burkina Faso, Cameroon 2-1 Guinea Bissau

Thursday’s fixtures

Group B: Algeria vs Tunisia (18:00), Senegal vs Zimbabwe (21:00). DM

Photo: Christian Bassogog of Cameroon (l) tackled by Mamadu Cande of Guinea Bissau during the 2017 African Cup of Nations Finals Afcon football match between Cameroon and Guinea Bissau at the Libreville Stadium in Gabon on 18 January 2017 ©Gavin Barker/BackpagePix.