Africa Cup of Nations 2015: Day 3 AFCON Scores, Results, Standings and Schedule
Some top-quality matches were on show on Day 3 of AFCON 2015 on Monday, as Group C got underway with Senegal facing up to Ghana and the hotly tipped Algerians clashing with South Africa.
Senegal grabbed all three points very late on against Ghana after recovering from 1-0 down to claim a 2-1 victory.
Algeria also overturned a 1-0 deficit, eventually beating South Africa 3-1 in a fascinating second half.
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Here's the fully updated schedule for AFCON 2015:
| Date | Time (GMT/ET) | Stage | Fixture |
| Jan. 17 | 4 p.m./11 a.m. | Group A | Equatorial Guinea 1-1 Congo |
| Jan. 17 | 7 p.m./2 p.m. | Group A | Burkina Faso 0-2 Gabon |
| Jan. 18 | 4 p.m./11 a.m. | Group B | Zambia 1-1 Congo DR |
| Jan. 18 | 7 p.m./2 p.m. | Group B | Tunisia 1-1 Cape Verde Islands |
| Jan. 19 | 4 p.m./11 a.m. | Group C | Ghana 1-2 Senegal |
| Jan. 19 | 7 p.m./2 p.m. | Group C | Algeria 3-1 South Africa |
| Jan. 20 | 4 p.m./11 a.m. | Group D | Ivory Coast v Guinea |
| Jan. 20 | 7 p.m./2 p.m. | Group D | Mali v Cameroon |
| Jan. 21 | 4 p.m./11 a.m. | Group A | Equatorial Guinea v Burkina Faso |
| Jan. 21 | 7 p.m./2 p.m. | Group A | Gabon v Congo |
| Jan. 22 | 4 p.m./11 a.m. | Group B | Zambia v Tunisia |
| Jan. 22 | 7 p.m./2 p.m. | Group B | Cape Verde Islands v Congo DR |
| Jan. 23 | 4 p.m./11 a.m. | Group C | Ghana v Algeria |
| Jan. 23 | 7 p.m./2 p.m. | Group C | South Africa v Senegal |
| Jan. 24 | 4 p.m./11 a.m. | Group D | Ivory Coast v Mali |
| Jan. 24 | 7 p.m./2 p.m. | Group D | Cameroon v Guinea |
| Jan. 25 | 6 p.m./1 p.m. | Group A | Congo v Burkina Faso |
| Jan. 25 | 6 p.m./1 p.m. | Group A | Gabon v Equatorial Guinea |
| Jan. 26 | 6 p.m./1 p.m. | Group B | Cape Verde Islands v Zambia |
| Jan. 26 | 6 p.m./1 p.m. | Group B | Congo DR v Tunisia |
| Jan. 27 | 6 p.m./1 p.m. | Group C | Senegal v Algeria |
| Jan. 27 | 6 p.m./1 p.m. | Group C | South Africa v Ghana |
| Jan. 28 | 6 p.m./1 p.m. | Group D | Cameroon v Ivory Coast |
| Jan. 28 | 6 p.m./1 p.m. | Group D | Guinea v Mali |
| Jan. 31 | 4 p.m./11 a.m. | Quarter-Final 1 | Group A Winner v Group B Second Place |
| Jan. 31 | 7 p.m./2 p.m. | Quarter-Final 2 | Group B Winner v Group A Second Place |
| Feb. 1 | 4 p.m./11 a.m. | Quarter-Final 3 | Group C Winner v Group D Second Place |
| Feb. 1 | 7 p.m./2 p.m. | Quarter-Final 4 | Group D Winner v Group C Second Place |
| Feb. 4 | 7 p.m./2 p.m. | Semi-Final 1 | Quarter-Final 1 Winner v Quarter-Final 4 Winner |
| Feb. 5 | 7 p.m./2 p.m. | Semi-Final 2 | Quarter-Final 2 Winner v Quarter-Final 3 Winner |
| Feb. 7 | 4 p.m./11 a.m. | Third-place | Semi-Final 1 Loser v Semi-Final 2 Loser |
| Feb. 8 | 7 p.m./2 p.m. | Final | Semi-Final 1 Winner v Semi-Final 2 Winner |
The current group standings:
| 1 | Gabon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | Congo | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Equatorial Guinea | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Burkina Faso | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| 1 | DR Congo | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1 | Zambia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Cape Verde | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Tunisia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1 | Algeria | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | Senegal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Ghana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| 4 | South Africa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
| 1 | Cameroon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Guinea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Ivory Coast | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Mali | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ghana 1-2 Senegal
Moussa Sow grabbed a deserved late winner for Senegal in their first AFCON 2015 match to down Ghana 2-1 and get their campaign off to a victorious start.
Andre Ayew opened the scoring for Ghana early in the first half with a fine penalty before Mame Biram Diouf's header drew things level just before the hour mark.
Ghana were under pressure from there on but looked to have held on for a draw before Sow stormed on to the end of a Diouf pass in the third minute of added time and swept the ball home to sew up all three points.
It was a much-deserved victory for the Lions of Teranga in a very entertaining clash, per Opta:
Senegal had the better of the opening exchanges, with several crosses coming into the box, striker Diouf looking dangerous but failing to really trouble the goalkeeper.
However, the Black Stars were given a golden opportunity 14 minutes in when Christian Atsu was felled in the box for a stonewall penalty, Marseille's Ayew finishing with aplomb from the spot, firing straight down the middle as the 'keeper dived away.
Diouf nearly equalised with a spectacular effort a quarter of an hour later as he executed a wonderful bicycle kick from 18 yards which was heading for the top corner before Brimah Razak did well to tip the effort over the bar.
Senegal came out after the break with great intent, pushing forward in search of an equaliser as Ghana looked to defend their lead.
It was Stoke's Diouf who finally found the back of the net for Alain Giresse's men, heading a cross from the left on to the post before diving low to head the rebound home.
Senegal looked set to go on and win it, per Soccer Laduma's Joe Crann, Diouf and Papa Diop both spurning glorious chances to take the lead:
And Sow finally obliged deep into stoppage time after a long hoof upfield from the 'keeper ended in ecstasy for the Senegalese.
In such a tough group, Ghana were clearly looking simply not to lose, but they were eventually punished for sitting so deep and inviting the pressure from Senegal.
Algeria 3-1 South Africa
Algeria came back from 1-0 down to beat South Africa 3-1 in Mongomo and move to the top of Group C on goal difference with all four sides having played their opening game of the 2015 AFCON.
All the goals were scored in the second half with Thuso Phala bagging the opener before Thulani Hlatshwayo scored an unfortunate own goal for Algeria to draw level.
The Greens then turned the game around as strikes from Faouzi Ghoulam and Islam Slimani wrapped up all three points.
The South Africans certainly had their chances to take something from the match, including a Tokelo Rantie missed penalty to make it 2-0, but Algeria were good value for their win, per African football expert Jonathan Wilson:
While Algeria had control of the opening half, Bafana Bafana had the best chances towards the end of the 45 minutes, Rais M'Bolhi saving well on two occasions to keep the game scoreless.
However, the South Africans finally got the opener five minutes after the break, Phala finishing off a classy team move, per football reporter Melissa Reddy:
They were gifted an opportunity to double their lead minutes later as Sibusiso Vilakazi was hauled down by Aissa Mandi in the area, but Rantie blasted it on to the crossbar.
South Africa's Darren Keet then kept his side's lead with a brilliant double save from Slimani, but the 'keeper had no chance when Yacine Brahimi's cross was met by Hlatshwayo's panicked back header and Algeria had their equaliser with 20 minutes remaining.
A breathless finish ensued as Napoli's Ghoulam made it 2-1 as he drove into the box from the left and fired a powerful strike into the back of the net for Algeria to take the lead.
Unfortunately, after a terrific performance, it was a Keet mistake that confirmed the win for Algeria as he let a Slimani shot from the edge of the box run underneath him, per the New Age's Neal Collins:
A fascinating second half had all the action, and Algeria, one of the favourites for the competition, open with a win, but it could have been very different if South Africa had taken their chances.
