Algeria v South Africa - Africa Cup of Nations

Summary

Phala stuns favourites Algeria with opener
Bournemouth's Ranti misses penalty for South Africa
Hlatshwayo own goal, Ghoulam & Slimani reply for Algeria
FT: Ghana 1-2 Senegal
GET INVOLVED: Send your views on the tournament to #bbcafcon2015

Live Reporting

Luke Reddy and Andy Cryer

Postpublished at 15:53 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2015
Estadio de Mongomo holds around 10,000 fans. The turf looks slick and lush.
Image source, Ghana
Ghana:, external Its the Group of Death. A final cut of the Mongomo pitch - ready for Ghana v Senegal & Algeria v BafanaBafana.
Prepared despite the changespublished at 15:51 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2015
Ghana defender Jonathan Mensah has taken to his personal website, external (I was surprised he had one too) to talk of his focus ahead of this opener.
"We have put everything behind us to concentrate on the task ahead," says the 32-year-old. "With a new coach and a few new faces now in the team we're very optimistic. You still get the same feeling going into this tournament because it's special."
A nice picture of a team bonded too as they are holding hands...
Image source, Jonathan Mensah
Manic in Mongomopublished at 15:47 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2015
BBC Sport's Matthew Kenyon in Mongomo: Huge queues outside stadium pre Ghana v Senegal. Out of car park, down the road. Security/handwashing. But great atmosphere outside and in. Congolese music rocking the place as it fills up!
Focus on Mongomopublished at 15:46 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2015
Today we find ourselves focused on the town of Mongomo - specifically Estadio de Mongomo. As was the case in the first two days of the tournament, two games will be played at the stadium back-to-back.
The first president of Equatorial Guinea came from Mongomo. Francisco Macias Nguema ruled the country from 1968 to 1979 and around a third of the nation's population left before the end of his brutal reign.
A loss of many goalspublished at 15:42 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2015
Image source, Getty Images
Who wouldn't miss a striker of Gyan's quality?
Ghana's Gyan blowpublished at 15:42 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2015
Ghana were dealt a blow in the run up to their opening fixture when they discovered talisman Assamoah Gyan was suffering with a "mild bout of malaria".
The Black Stars still have plenty of tricks up their sleeve though with the likes of Christian Atsu - currently on loan at Everton - and Andre Ayew of Marseille named to start. But Gyan has scored over 40 goals in his country and no one else in the squad is anywhere near as prolific.
GET INVOLVEDpublished at 15:36 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2015
No BBC Sport live text is worth its salt without your contributions so please tell us if you think any of today's four featured teams will win the tournament and why?
Tweet #bbcafcon2015 or comment on the BBC Sport Facebook page., external
Big shoes for our Avram to fillpublished at 15:35 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2015
Avram Grant only officially became Ghana manager in late November - giving him little time to prepare - and he has lots to live up to as the country has reached the last four of AFCON in the last four successive tournaments.
They topped a group including Guinea, Uganda and Togo to make it to the tournament but have not played any warm-up games.
A horrid drawpublished at 15:32 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2015
Now I'm not one for the standard 'group of death' cliché every tournament seems to have, but if I were, Group C at Afcon 2015 would be it.
It is packed with household names. We get to hear from Avram Grant once again as he now takes charge of Ghana, Newcastle's Papiss Cisse turns out for Senegal. Bournemouth fans, you can cheer Tokelo Rantie for South Africa and we will see the BBC Sport Africa Footballer of the Year - Yacine Brahimi for Algeria.
- Ghana v Senegal (15:00 GMT)
- Algeria v South Africa (19:00 GMT)
The weird and wonderful AFCONpublished at 14:34 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2015
Good afternoon and welcome.
Why should you follow an Africa Cup of Nations live I hear you ask? Well where else do Man of the Match awards get presented by characters like this...
Image source, CAF
And this...
Goodness knows what day three has in store.