LUBANGO: World Cup qualifiers are still without a win at the African Cup of Nations after Gabon beat Cameroon 1-0 on Wednesday. Zambia held Tunisia to 1-1 in Group D’s other game.

Striker Daniel Cousin made the most of a defensive blunder by Rigobert Song to net in the 17th minute for Gabon. The opening group matches left Gabon with an early lead on three points, two more than Zambia and Tunisia. Cameroon had none.

Cameroon’s loss followed earlier defeats by World Cup-bound Algeria and Nigeria. Ivory Coast opened by drawing with Burkina Faso 0-0, and plays fellow qualifier Ghana on Friday.

Cameroon captain Samuel Eto’o said his team wasn’t done yet. “It’s not a big problem,” Eto’o said. “We have to win our next game. We controlled the game but we didn’t score.”

Cousin’s timing and positioning was perfect. Song, making a record eighth African Cup appearance, stumbled at a Roguy Meye throughball and defensive partner Nicolas Nkoulou made a costly miss, giving unspotted Cousin enough space to stab a low shot past Cameroon goalkeeper Carlos Kameni.

Later, Zhoueir Dhaouadi’s score for Tunisia helped to cancel Jacob Mulenga’s for Zambia. The setup for Zambia’s opener came from James Chamanga, who offered a precise pass to striker Jacob Mulenga, who unleashed at the near post in the 18th.Tunisia, the 2004 champions, struggled until halftime but managed to level in the 40th following a swift move which led to Dhaouadi’s effort past Kennedy Mweene. Youssef Msakni was the provider.

Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions made a poor start with Alex Song almost gifting Gabon a first-minute opener before recovering just in time to stop a possible Gabonese threat. Cameroon couldn’t complain as it had plenty of chances.

Twenty minutes into the game, Achille Webo released a powerful low shot that forced one of several good saves by Didier Ovono in the first half. Emana then provided a well-timed throughball for Webo inside the box, but Ovono again used his legs to save in the 32nd. Even though he wasn’t at his scoring best, Eto’o also had a chance but his weak shot in the 76th didn’t trouble Ovono.