( CNN ) The Africa Cup of Nations kicked off in style Saturday despite a build up hampered by Ebola fears and an enforced relocation . It was almost a million dollar start for new hosts Equatorial Guinea -- almost but not quite . The squad had shared a seven-figure bonus after winning their first game of the tournament three years ago , but Congo Brazzaville put paid to any hopes of a windfall this time around . A late equalizer from Thievy Bifouma canceled out captain Emilio Nsue Lopez 's opening goal for the hosts . Bifouma , who plays his club football in Spain with UD Almeria , put the ball through goalkeeper Felipe Ovono 's legs in the 87th minute to earn Congo a share of the points . The Group A match was played in front of a sell-out crowd of 35,000 fans , which included Equatorial Guinea president Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo . In the group 's later game , Burkina Faso were defeated 2-0 by Gabon . The exciting curtain raiser was just the tonic for the 30th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations ( AFCON ) , which is being staged against a backdrop of off-field controversy . In November , Morocco pulled out as hosts citing fears about the spread of the Ebola epidemic . Many footballers , who are representing their countries at AFCON , are determined to put on a united show of solidarity in the fight against the deadly illness . The Confederation of African Football banned Morocco from the entering the prestigious event and turned to Equatorial Guinea . The tiny , oil rich nation in Central Africa co-hosted AFCON in 2012 with Gabon , which meant it had the facilities in place to handle its short notice call up . But choosing Equatorial Guinea as host for one of the world 's most important football tournaments was not without its problems . `` For CAF to give the tournament to Equatorial Guinea was a controversial decision , '' former professional footballer Lutz Pfannenstiel told CNN . `` Western officials cite Equatorial Guinea as an example of a resource rich country that is plagued by kleptocracy problems . '' Equatorial Guinea , a country of just 780,000 inhabitants , is known for its extremes of wealth and poverty . It may be the third largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa and have a GDP to rival many a western nation but more than three-quarters of Equatoguineans live in poverty , says the World Bank . Human rights groups also describe the nation as `` one of the world 's most repressive societies . '' For the 16 teams competing for the AFCON crown , it is hoped the old adage `` football is the real winner '' will once again ring true at the end of the three week competition .
The 30th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off . Hosts Equatorial Guinea are held to a draw by Congo Brazzaville . - A new record for number of goals scored in an African Cup of Nations match is set when Nigeria score five against Ivory Coast.