Host Cameroon wins as African Cup opens under virus shadow

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — Host Cameroon came from behind to beat Burkina Faso 2-1 in the opening game of the African Cup of Nations. Captain Vincent Aboubakar scored both goals from penalties at the end of the first half. The game followed an opening ceremony marked by flashes of color in Yaounde. Dancers wearing red, green, yellow, white and blue costumes performed in the middle of the field during the short celebrations. Some of them wore masks in matching colors in a reminder that Africa’s monthlong soccer showpiece is going ahead amid a global surge in coronavirus cases driven by the omicron variant. Cape Verde beat Ethiopia 1-0 in the day’s other game.