AFCON 2021: Pulse of the Day featuring Iheanacho, Kamara, and Aboeshren - matchday 3

Matchday 3 of the Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON 2021, belonged to the goalkeepers after two barren draws in three matches.

Goalkeepers Mohamed Kamara and Ali Aboeshren took home the man-of-the-match awards as Sierra Leone and Sudan kicked off their campaigns with a point respectively.

With some super saves and a stunning goal in the game between Nigeria and Egypt, matchday 3 produced worthy Pulse of the Day moments and performances.

AFCON's reigning champions, Algeria, started their title defence on a shaky note after a goalless draw against Mohamed Kamara-inspired Sierra Leone in the opening game of the day.

The 22-year-old was brilliant in between the sticks for the Leone Stars, making an astonishing seven saves.

Two of those saves were the key moments in the game, first, he reacted very well to deny Yacine Brahimi, who had the best chance of the day just six minutes in the second half.

Then, with 10 minutes left to play, Kamara this time superbly denied Riyad Mahrez's dangerous right-footed shoot with an excellent low save in the bottom left corner.

The local lad became the first goalkeeper to win the official AFCON 2021 man of the match award.

Nigeria's Super Eagles produced the best performance so far in the tournament to draw the first blood in Group D after a narrow 1-0 win over Egypt.

Leicester City star, Kelechi Iheanacho, who promised Nigerians to 'make them proud', decided the tie with a stunning goal on the half-hour mark.

The Super Eagles swamped their counterparts, the Pharaohs of Egypt, like bees during their opener, and the team's best three players on the pitch combined to create the most decisive moment of the game.

A Moses Simon cross from the left was poorly dealt with by the Egyptian defense and a loose ball fell kindly to Joe Aribo whose low header found Iheanacho, who left fly an excellent left-footed shot just inside the box for the winner.

Sudan's first clean sheet at the AFCON in over three decades was earned at the back of a dramatic late scene on matchday 3.

In what was the second game in Group between the Jediane Falcons and the Djurtus of Guinea-Bissau, Falcons goalkeeper, Ali Aboeshren went from villain to hero in the space of two second-half minutes.

With the game seemingly headed for a goalless affair, the Al-Hilal shot-stopper gave away a penalty as he fouled substitute Steve Ambri to give Djurtus a lifeline in the 73rd minute.

However, the 32-year-old made adequate amends when he denied Pele by saving the resultant spot-kick en route becoming the second goalkeeper to win the AFCON man of the match.