There was drama on day 4 at Afcon as Mali edged Tunisia 1-0 in a game which was marred by refereeing controversy while Ivory Coast and Gambia also picked up 1-0 wins against Equatorial Guinea and Mauritania respectively.

Mali 1-0 Tunisia

A controversial game to say the least saw Mali triumph through a 48th-minute penalty converted by Ibrahima Kone while Tunisia captain Wahbi Khazri later missed a spot-kick in a frantic finish which saw Mali have a man sent off before Zambian official Janny Sikazwe blew for the end of the game in the 85th minute – rightfully causing anger amongst both sets of players – before resuming the game shortly after.

With many expecting a lengthy amount of stoppage time, the referee instead shocked everyone once again as he blew his whistle on 89 minutes and 44 seconds on the clock.

Ivory Coast 1-0 Equatorial Guinea

A stunning early strike by Max-Alain Gradel gave the Ivory Coast a 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea in their opening game of the Africa Cup of Nations in Douala on Wednesday.

Gradel, the former Bournemouth and Saint-Etienne winger who now plays club football in Turkey, fired home an unstoppable shot from 20 metres in the fifth minute at the Japoma Stadium that proved enough for the Elephants.

It is the ideal start for the 2015 African champions in Group E after reigning champions Algeria were held to a 0-0 draw by Sierra Leone at the same venue on Tuesday.

The Ivorians play Sierra Leone in their next match on Sunday, before Algeria take on Equatorial Guinea.

Gambia 1-0 Mauritania

Debutants Gambia beat Mauritania 1-0 on Wednesday in an Africa Cup of Nations Group F match in Limbe overshadowed by the bizarre finish to an earlier game that Mali won by the same score against Tunisia.

A Gambian throw-in on 10 minutes began a move that finished with Ablie Jallow slamming a rising shot over goalkeeper Diop Babacar, who had strayed slightly off his line to hand them the victory.