Gabon 4-0 Madagascar

Gabon face the Ivory Coast in their next match

Midfielder Shiva Nzigou struck twice as Gabon got off to an emphatic start with a 4-0 win over Madagascar in Group One of the Nations Cup qualifiers in Libreville on Saturday.

Striker Henri Antchouet scored the first goal five minutes before half time and Daniel Cousin, playing only his second game after a six-year absence, added the second from the penalty spot.

Gabon, who have former French World Cup midfielder Alain Giresse in charge, went 2-0 up when captain Cousin converted a 67th-minute penalty.

The French-born forward had been persuaded back to the international scene by Giresse after refusing to play since 2000 because of poor organisation within the team ranks.

Nzigou, who holds the record as the youngest player at the Nations Cup finals when he appeared as a 16-year-old in the 2000 tournament in Ghana, added two more inside two minutes.

Gabon next face a tough test of their credentials with a tie against World Cup finalists Ivory Coast in Abidjan next month.