Gabon forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang produced one of the best individual performances at the Nations Cup so far during the co-hosts' 2-0 win over Niger in Libreville Monday. By contrast, Morocco marksman Marouane Chamakh misfired, missing a key early chance, as his wasteful team slumped to a shock 2-1 defeat against North African rival Tunisia in the second half of a Group C double bill. Aubameyang, sporting a Mohican hairstyle reminiscent of Brazilian forward Neymar, opened the scoring and was involved in all of Gabon's attacking moves against a rough-tackling Niger side making its debut at the finals. President Ali Bongo was among a packed 45,000 crowd at Libreville's newly built stadium as Gabon staged its first games following matches in Equatorial Guinea over the weekend. The pitch, which turned into a mudbath during a November friendly against Brazil, held up well although there was still embarrassment for the organizers when the stadium emptied after the first game, leaving Morocco and Tunisia to play in an empty arena. A similar exodus occurred after Equatorial Guinea had played Libya in the first half of a double bill on the tournament's first day Saturday. None of the four teams in action Monday played at the World Cup in South Africa, a reminder that several of the continent's top teams, including Nigeria and Cameroon, failed to qualify. Aubameyang, the son of a former Gabon captain, quickly had the crowd on its feet with some stepovers near the corner flag, although there was nothing fancy about his opening goal. The 22-year-old forward, raised at AC Milan and now at St Etienne after short loan spells at several European clubs, ghosted in at the back post to squeeze home a header after Niger goalkeeper Daouda Kassaly misjudged a cross. A diving header from the St Etienne striker on the stroke of halftime set up the second goal as Kassaly made a brilliant save but the rebound fell perfectly for Stephane Nguema to net from close range. Aubameyang was also a central figure in the goalless second half, orchestrating a wave of attacks, taking set pieces and generally keeping Niger on the back foot until he was replaced late on by veteran Daniel Cousin. Morocco, attempting to re-establish themselves as one of the continent's top sides, dominated the opening against Tunisia, creating four clearcut openings early on. The best went to Arsenal striker Chamakh, who has seen little Premier League action this season, who was sent clean through only for his shot to be blocked by Aymen Mathlouthi, who denied him again shortly afterwards. It proved to be a turning-point as Tunisia went ahead out of the blue when Saber Khelifa got the slightest of touches to a free-kick from Khaled Korbi in the 34th minute. Morocco continued to create chances but was caught again when substitute Youssef Msakni scored a superb individual goal in the 77th minute. Captain Houcine Kharjah pulled one back for Morocco in the 86th minute, leading to the almost inevitable scuffle in the goalmouth as Mathlouthi grabbed the ball and Morocco players tried to retrieve it.
