A late Bertrand Traore goal secured a hard fought 1-0 win for Burkina Faso against a resilient Mauritania side in Group D at the AFCON 2023.

After toiling for most part of the game Burkina Faso got a penalty deep in stoppage time following consultation with VAR for a foul inside the box.

Traore then stepped up and send the keeper the wrong way to put his side 1-0 ahead on 96 minutes.

The win was historic for the Burkinabes as they have never won their opening game at the AFCON.

In their previous 12 AFCON openers, Burkina Faso lost seven and drew five.

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The win means Burkina Faso top the group and are followed by Algeria and Angola who are second and third respectively each on one point.

At the last AFCON in Cameroon, Burkina Faso finished fourth.

Their best outing in the AFCON was at the 2013 edition when they finished second after losing 1-0 to Nigeria’s Super Eagles in the final.