The match between South Africa’s Bafana Bafana and Cape Verde’s Blue Sharks indeed seems to be of historical significance in the context of the African Cup of Nations (CAN). The fact that the game ended in a 0-0 draw makes it unique in the history of the tournament.
The information provided highlights that, since the inception of the CAN in 1957, this is the first time that the opening match of the tournament has concluded with a scoreless draw. Throughout the 28 previous editions, there have been instances of draws on the first day, but each of them featured goals. The listed examples include matches like Ghana-Tunisia (1-1) in 1963, Libya-Ghana (2-2) in 1982, and others, where goals were scored even if the matches ended in a draw.
This 0-0 draw breaks the trend of opening day draws with goals and stands in contrast to the record for the highest score achieved during a CAN opening match, which is 5-1 in the Algeria-Nigeria game in 1990. The uniqueness of this outcome adds a distinctive element to the history of the African Cup of Nations.
