Full-time! Cameroon 2-1 Burkina Faso
90 min + 3: Cameroon drive down the right. Koffi initially spills a cross but then gathers. The seconds are ticking down to what will be an opening win for the tournament hosts.
90 min + 2: Konate has the merest hint of a sight of goal for Burkina Faso from a tight angle. He gets his shot on target but Onana is able to gather cleanly.
90 min: Time’s up, but five added minutes at a minimum will be played – mostly as a result of that incredibly long VAR check for the disallowed Cameroon goal.
87 min: Aboubakar, the two-penalty hero for Cameroon, is now taken off with Neyou coming on. This is certainly tense, although it’s hard to argue the football has been consistently of great quality. As stated, though, it’s often the way with the nerves and high stakes that come with a tournament opener.
85 min: Traore, another strong performer today, is replaced by Bande for Burkina Faso. Fresh legs for one final push on the Cameroon goal …
83 min: Toni Conceição, the Cameroon manager, issues a few instructions from the bench. His side are edging towards the win here but he’d love a third goal.
81 min: Another change for Cameroon: Christian Bassogog comes on for Ngamaleu, who has been outstanding, and absolutely full of running and quality on the ball. Man of the match, for me.
76 min: The hat-trick hunting Aboubakar of Cameroon gets a sight of goal from an angle on the right of the area, and gives his shot everything, but it flies over.
73 min: Zambo Anguissa hammers a powerful shot goalwards from the edge of the box for Cameroon. It nicks off a defender and out for a corner. The resulting corner is contested aerially but goes out for a goal kick to Burkina Faso.
68 min: A double change for Burkina Faso now, with Konate and Sanogo coming on.
66 min: Traore smacks a powerful shot from an angle for Burkina Faso, Onana saves.
Double change now for Cameroon: Toko Ekambi and Kunde go off, with Clinton and Choupo-Moting come on.
The time seems to have disappeared from my screen on Sky Sports so I’m not entirely sure how long there is left …
64 min: Ngamaleu, who seems to be popping up on either flank, now takes the ball down the Cameroon left. The ball finds its way to Aboubakar, and it takes two defenders to take him out of the action, his shot blocked desperately at the last minute by two covering defenders.
58 min: VAR check on a possible goal for Cameroon!
Cameroon, again, burst forward in numbers. Aboubakar lays the ball off to Ngamaleu on the right, whose initial shot is saved, but then hits Aboubakar and floats into the net. It’s a VAR check …
61 min: Goal disallowed!
This is a very, very long VAR check … and at the end of it, the on-field decision stands, and Cameroon still lead 2-1.
Half-time! Cameroon 2-1 Burkina Faso
Two penalties have put Cameroon, the tournament hosts, in the lead after Burkina Faso opened the scoring. It was a nervy, disjointed start but a much more entertaining affair later in the half. See you in a few minutes for more.
Burkina Faso has scored against Cameroon, the host of the 2022, African Cup of Nations
Details soon