The Tunisian ‘Messi’ Youssef M’sakni rounded off the final episode of the first round group games at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations with a goal that even the original ‘Messi’ would have stood up and applauded, as Msakni’s delightful goal from long range won his country three points in the Maghreb derby against their arch rivals Algeria on Tuesday evening at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Rustenburg.

Msakni who plays his club football in Qatar ensured the final of the eight opening round games had a winner after the first two games ended goalless, so statistically how has the 2013 Nations Cup lived up to its predecessors after the opening round of group games since the tournament became a 16 team event.

Although in 1996 and in 2010 fifteen teams competed as result of Nigeria withdrawing in 1996 and Togo to due to tragic circumstances in 2010.

The last time South Africa hosted the tournament in 1996 sixteen goals were scored in the opening round of group games amongst those was South Africa’s 3-0 opening game triumph over Cameroon, back then just three games of the first eight ended in a draw and only one game between Zambia and Algeria from these ended goalless.

This time out of the opening round of games two have ended goalless, Bafana Bafana’s opening game against Cape Verde which incidentally was the first time an opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations since inception in 1957 did not produce any goals, as well as the other game in Group A between Morocco and Angola produced no goals.

Three other games, Ethiopia’s riveting comeback with ten men in their 1-1 draw with defending champions Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s fight back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Ghana and Burkina Faso’s surprising 1-1 draw with Nigeria also ended all square but produced goals.

Thus far the eight games have seen 13 goals scored at a rate of 1.63 not far behind the 1.88 scored after eight games in 2012. In recent times the tournament with the least number of goals after the first eight games was in Mali in 2002. Back then eight games produced just five goals at 0.62 goals per game with five of the games ending in draws with four of those finishing goalless.

So the 2013 event is not far off-it does lag some way behind when compared to the 2008 and 2010 tournaments, where the balls used back then were credited for ensuring high scoring games which saw an average of 3.25 goals per game being scored in Ghana 2008 and 3.14 in Angola 2010.

Though history does show with teams now in the serious stage of the tournament and with their opening game jitters out of the way they are more willing to take risks in their second games as the thought of elimination hangs above them, which results in more goals.

With five draws in the opening eight games the next eight should see more goals and less draws as we enter the business end of the tournament, with Bafana kicking off the round against Angola in Durban today @ 5pm.