COSAFA side Angola were unlucky losers in their opening match of the African Nations Championship on Sunday as they went down to the 10-men of Cameroon in Huye, Rwanda.

The Indomitable Lions took the lead after 23 minutes via CotonSport striker Yazid Atouba from a superb free-kick.

Angola pressed hard for an equaliser and had a man advantage when Cameroon defender Joseph Ngwem was sent off with 20 minutes remaining.

But try as they might they could not grab a point and will now look forward to their second clash against DR Congo on Thursday. The latter defeated Ethiopia 3-0 in their opener.

The other two COSAFA sides in the competition, Zimbabwe and Zambia, clash in their pool opener on Tuesday.

The top two teams in each pool advance to the quarterfinals, after which the competition takes on a knockout format.

The 2016 competition will be the fourth edition of CHAN. DR Congo won the first title in Ivory Coast in 2009, before Tunisia triumphed in Sudan two years later, beating Angola in the final.

Libya defeated Ghana in the last edition played in South Africa in 2014.