Afcon 2021: What's happened this week at the Africa Cup of Nations?
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After months of delay due to Covid-19, Africa Cup of Nations 2021 (Afcon) kicked off last Sunday!
Many premier league stars such as Mo Salah, Riyad Mahrez and Sadio Man茅 have travelled to Cameroon to take part in Africa's BIGGEST sporting event.
In the first week of the tournament we have seen teams make their Afcon debuts, and one match cause major confusion.
Here's some of the biggest stories from Afcon this week!
Confusion in Cameroon!
Mali beat Tunisia after a controversial ending
There was uproar during a match between Mali and Tunisia as the referee decided to blow the full time whistle five minutes early!
The referee first signalled for full-time on 85 minutes, then ended the match when the clock showed 89 minutes and 47 seconds.
Mondher Kebaier, the Tunisia coach, ran onto the pitch to confront the ref, Janny Sikazwe, after his early final whistle gave Mali a 1-0 win.
Officials tried to complete the match 30 minutes later but Tunisia didn't return to the pitch from their dressing room and Mali were given the victory. The game will now be investigated!
GOAL for Iheanacho as Nigeria beat Egypt!
The Leicester city player scored the only goal for Nigeria against Mo Salah's team, Egypt
Nigeria beat the seven-time champions and Mo Salah's team, Egypt, 1-0 in their Afcon opening match!
The team's only goal was scored by Leicester city striker Kelechi Iheanacho and put them at the top of their group.
It was a game with a BIG build-up as the two teams are fan favourites and are two of the most successful nations in African football history.
Nigeria's national team have won the tournament three times, but Salah's team Egypt are the most successful in Afcon history, winning seven times and finishing as runners up twice!
24 teams have qualified for Afcon 2021 and they will play in 52 matches across six stadiums in five host cities!
Mukansanga the history maker
Mukansanga told sports channel ESPN "We'll show the world we can do something."
Salima Mukansanga is expected to be the FIRST woman ever to referee a match at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Salima was the fourth official for Guinea's 1-0 victory over Malawi on Monday, and is expected to be the referee for a match later this week. Mukansanga is joined by three other women officials at the tournament.
With an impressive career history, she has also officiated at the Africa Women's Cup of Nations, the Women's World Cup, and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in Japan!
Mukansanga may be the first woman to referee at Afcon, but she is unlikely to be the last!
Both The Gambia and Comoros made their Afcon debuts this year! Comoros lost their first match but midfielder Fouad 'Fred' Bachirou says "it was a really proud moment... we are proud to represent our country and proud to fly our flag in this huge competition."
A dream debut for The Gambia
The Gambia are the lowest-ranked team at the tournament but their win now makes them joint top of their group table
There were smiles all round for The Gambia as they made history with their first ever win in their FIRST ever game at Afcon!
Fans of the team took to the streets to celebrate.
Ablie Jallow scored a goal and took his team to a 1-0 victory against Mauritania.
Their next match is against Mali on Sunday!
Who are you supporting? Do you have a favourite African player? Let us know in the comments below!