Perhaps the greatest lesson learnt from the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations opener between co-hosts Equatorial Guinea and Libya is that it is highly unlikely that either of these sides will make it out of Group A.
The match was entertaining for the most part, but lacked any real quality, certainly not enough for pool rivals Senegal and Zambia to be unduly worried.
Equatorial Guinea managed to find a late winner through Javier Balboa to secure a famous win for the country in their maiden appearance at this level. It will help them believe they can reach the knockout stages and, they will hope, some momentum going into their next match against Senegal on Wednesday.
Libya are now almost certainly out; this was a game they had to win to stand a realistic chance of making the Last 8.
The win might have been better for the home side too, were it not for an early piece of controversy. Ivan Bolado had the ball in the back of the net after a goalkeeping howler, but the effort was ruled out for offside with a home player in the eye-line of Libya goalkeeper Samir Aboud as he let the ball slip from his grasp and over the line.
There was no touch on the ball, but the movement towards the shot was deemed enough interference for the assistant referee to raise his flag.
Strictly speaking, it was the correct decision, but how often do we see those not given as offside?
It comes down to the discretion of the individual match official and this time it went against the hosts, much to their annoyance.
They dominated the remainder of the game, but after a nervy start Aboud came into his own and made a number of fine saves. Libya were thankful for the woodwork late on too.
Home advantage will always be a big plus for the Guinea side at this tournament, but it does not look to be enough to turn an average group of lower league players from, mostly, Spain into a winning combination.
The players have been promised a share of U.S.$1-million for each victory in this tournament, so the desire is there.
But that can only take you so far. When it comes to the crunch, if a side is lacking in quality they will be found out over three games.
