Hosts Sudan beat Gabon 1-0 to seal victory in the opening match of the 2011 African Nations Championship.

Mudather Eltaib scored the only goal of the game halfway through the first half.

The other Group A game between Algeria and Uganda takes place on Saturday in Khartoum.

2009 runners-up Ghana also start their Group B campaign on Saturday as they face South Africa, while Niger play Zimbabwe.

This is the first Caf tournament hosted by Sudan since 1970 when they maximised home advantage to lift the African Nations Cup