However, things can change in a blink of an eye in football, and when Congolese midfielder Wilfred Moke deflected a Mohamed Amine Ben Amor shot into his own net with a good 12 minutes remaining on the clock, the match was suddenly up for grabs.

The Atlas Lions, for whom Hakim Ziyech missed a penalty, may regret not finding the winning goal that would have taken them top of the section, following Côte d’Ivoire ’s shock 2-1 loss in Gabon .

With Sadio Mane having handed Senegal a 2-1 lead in the 75th minute and Les Etalons being reduced to ten men, the home fans began to feel a sense of despondency set in.

However, an own goal by the unfortunate Pape Seydou N’Diaye not only kept the Burkinabe at the top of the pool, but it also pushed Senegal down into third place, due to Cape Verde ’s surprising 2-1 triumph in South Africa .

But in the space of three days, the Atletico Madrid player proved that he did actually have a nose for goal, especially in high-pressure circumstances: he registered the Black Stars’ equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Congo in Kumasi, and in the second match in Brazzaville, he proceeded to notch a memorable hat-trick.