11 goals in 3 games, the ANC 2010 is up and running, and it seems every team here is jealously defending the pride of their nations. Malawi gained their first ever win in the tournament to humble the 1990 champions Algeria, whereas tournament favourites Cote d'Ivoire were held to the first stalemate of the tournament, one that could prove to be very expensive.

The first game of the day, was in Group A, Malawi and Algeria had a lot to live up to after the 4-4 thriller in the Estadio 11 de Novembro in Luanda. Malawi in their second appearance in the tournament, got their first win ever against World Cup bound Algeria who were caught cold by The Flames. The stadium was essentially empty, and hence lacked atmosphere. Malawi never messed about, and lined up in a 4-4-1-1 formation, Algeria in a 4-2-3-1 formation. From the start, Malawi never cared they were facing one of the best sides on the continent, they simply went for the throat, hassling Algeria when they had the ball, passing and being very direct when they had the ball. This attitude paid dividends as a mix up between goal keeper Chaouchi and veteran defender Bougherra let the ball slip and Russell Mwafulirwa rifled in with his left foot from a slight angle into the roof of the net after 17 minutes. Algeria were struggling to adapt to the slower pitch, and Malawi smelling blood got a deserved second, Elvis Kafoteka thumping home a header after a short corner on the 35th minute.

Half time came, Malawi had most of the ball and territory, all that was of doubt would be if they could hold their nerve and see the game out. Most teams would be cautious after the break, but not Malawi, they pressed forward and on 48minutes, added a third Dave Banda striking home after Mwafulirwa had hit the post. Algeria were now out for the count, and all game never showed they had the capacity to come back. The Algerian players still thought they were in Europe, hoping the pitch would speed the passes, but this shows they haven't prepared well enough, they thought neat passes would open Malawi up, but this is Africa, high humidity and a slower pitch. Malawi emphasise what this tournament is about, all out attacking football, and not caring who the names are, they wanted to make names for themselves, and it will not be long before many of them make minor moves .

Similarly with Cote d'Ivoire, they had beaten Burkina Faso 8-2 on aggregate over two games in World Cup Qualification, and probably expected the Burkinable to roll over. However they never, and they stayed very compact and clever, and ground out a precious point. Despite all the bad press for Cabinda, the Estadio Chimandela looked amazing,and the fans were expectant, such a venue still deserves to host the tournament. The Elephants lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Gervinho and B.Kone playing behind Didier Drogba, Burkina Faso played in a 4-5-1 formation, with Pitroipa roving wide and behind the striker Dagano.

The Ivorians simply went through the motions, had a few chances, but couldn't find a way past the Stallions. In the second half in fact, the Ivorians showed signs of frustration and stopped pressing the ball, allowing Burkina Faso to work the ball slowly around the pitch and get in and around the Ivory Coast box. Some may say 1 point is decent, however with Togo withdrawing from this group, the clash with Ghana now means that it is a game where they must win, little room for error now. The quality of the Cote d'Ivoire players cannot be questioned, what can be is the mentality and desire to win, they never showed that today.

Day 2 of the tournament has been good, and it shows that small teams can box with the big ones. They are not star struck, in fact, the smaller teams want to be stars and come out for the win, this is a good sign for the tournament, but mostly for African football in general, the standards and competitiveness has never been better, and with 53 countries on the continent, we could see débutantes in the 2014 World Cup.