The greatest comeback in the Africa Cup of Nations was staged by Mali in the opening match of the 2010 tournament as they wiped out a four-goal deficit against hosts Angola to snatch a draw.

Angola 4 Mali 4

Angola were four goals ahead with just 12 minutes of regular time remaining when Mali began a sensational comeback in Luanda.

The visitors were still two goals behind entering added time. Then Seydou Keita and Mustapha Yatabare scored.

Despite the heroic recovery, Mali was unable to advance past the first round.

Burkina Faso 4 DR Congo 4

Hosts Burkina Faso must have thought they had third place wrapped up when leading the Democratic Republic of Congo 4-1 after 87 minutes in a Ouagadougou play-off.

But the Congolese scored three times in three minutes with Lokenge Mungongo notching the 90th-minute equaliser. DR Congo won the resultant penalty shootout.

Cameroon 3 Burkina Faso 3

In 2022, Burkina Faso once again surrendered a three-goal advantage in a third-place play-off, this time against hosts Cameroon in Yaounde.

Vincent Aboubakar was the hero for the home team, scoring twice within three minutes during the closing stages to force a penalty shootout, which the Indomitable Lions won.