Guinea grab dramatic win

Former Real Madrid striker Javier Balboa scored late to give co-hosts Equatorial Guinea a 1-0 win over Libya yesterday and a million-dollar bonus as the Africa Cup of Nations began.

He struck three minutes from time in a Group A clash at a packed Estadio De Bata by racing down the middle and clinically finishing a superb Daniel Ekedo pass with a shot over goalkeeper Samir Aboud.

The Equatoguineans, hosts of the biennial African football showcase with neighbours Gabon, were promised the cash by a son of state president plus 20,000 for each goal they scored.

It was a sad start for Libya, who risked their lives to qualify as civil war raged in the north African country, but they only sprang to life after falling behind and Jamal Mohamed was deprived of an equaliser by a superb Danilo save.

There was drama before the kick-off with furious Libyan officials forcing organisers CAF to remove a Moamer Kadhafi-era green national flag from the tournament website and replace it with the new black, red and green colours.