Eto'o excels in Cameroon triumph

FC Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o carried his impressive club form into the African Cup of Nations as his hat-trick helped Cameroon open their Group B campaign with victory against Angola, while another European-based striker, Didier Drogba, helped Ivory Coast to three points in their first match of the competition.

Century of caps
Cameroon captain Rigobert Song, now with Galatasaray SK, was winning his 100th international cap but instead it was Eto'o who took centre stage with three blistering goals. The Barça forward, who has scored 18 goals in only 19 Primera División appearances this season, opened the scoring in Cairo in the 20th minute, stepping up to curl a fine free-kick beyond Angola goalkeeper Joao Ricardo after LOSC Lille Métropole midfielder Jean Makoun had been fouled.

Headed second
Angola - who have qualified for their first FIFA World Cup finals in Germany this summer - regrouped quickly and drew level within ten minutes as Cameroon goalkeeper Hamidou Souleymanou brought down Fabriçio Akwá and Flavio converted the resulting penalty. Eto'o missed a presentable opportunity to restore Cameroon's advantage almost immediately, but made no mistake six minutes before half-time, nodding in a cross from Sporting Clube de Portugal winger Rudolph Douala.

Hat-trick completed
Eto'o continued to present a threat in the second half, and wrapped up the win in the 77th minute as he drove in a shot from the edge of the penalty area. In the other Group B fixture, DR Congo also opened their campaign with a solid win by defeating another country who will be making their World Cup finals debut this year, Togo, 2-0 in Cairo. Tresor Mputu opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time, and Portsmouth FC forward Lomano LuaLua added a clinching second goal midway through the second half.

Drogba decisive
In Group A, Ivory Coast joined tournament hosts Egypt on three points with a narrow 1-0 success against Morocco thanks to Drogba's penalty shortly before half-time. The Chelsea FC forward was adjudged to have been fouled by Moroccan defender Walid Regragui in the 37th minute, and picked himself up to beat Tarik El-Jarmouni from the spot for the only goal of the game.