Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Saido Berahino were the stars of the show as Gabon and Burundi drew 1-1 in a Group C match in Libreville.
Arsenal striker Aubameyang struck with 10 minutes remaining to earn Gabon a point at home and cancel out Stoke City forward Berahino who scored in the first half on his Burundi debut.
It was a memorable start for Berahino who recently switched international allegiance to Burundi from England.
Burundi are now on top of the group with four points but their position could last for 24 hours if second-placed Mali beat South Sudan on Sunday.
New Cameroon coach Clarence Seedorf narrowly escaped embarrassment in his first match in charge of the reigning African champions, who were held to a 1-1 draw by their far less fancied opponents, Comoros.
It had to take Angers striker Stephane Bahoken's equaliser 10 minutes from time to save the day for Seedorf in the Comoros coastal town of Mitsamiouli.
Red Star Belgrade forward El-Fardou Ben Mahommed had thrust Comoros ahead in the first half, setting up what almost became the biggest upset of the weekend.
Although 2019 Afcon hosts Cameroon are just taking part in the qualifiers to earn some game time, this draw might not be well received by Cameroonians.
Seedorf’s decision to snub Chinese-based players might also have backfired.
Elsewhere, Liverpool star Mohamed Salah struck a brace as Egypt ran riot to pump half-a-dozen goals past Niger at Borg El-Arab Stadium in the biggest win of the weekend so far.
It was an eventful day for Salah who missed a penalty before scoring another one on the rebound as Arsenal's Mohamed El-Neny, Ayman Ashraf, Marwan Mohsen and Al Ahly's 20-year-old striker Salah Mohsen were also on target for the Pharaohs. Having lost their Group J opening match 1-0 to Tunisia, Saturday's emphatic win rejuvinated Egypt's campaign.
In Nouakchott, Mauritania pulled the biggest upset so far this weekend with a 2-0 win over Burkina Faso.
Ismael Diakhite and Khassa Camara struck in the first half to seal matters for Mauritania, who displaced Burkina Faso from the apex of Group I. After beating Botswana 1-0 away in their first match, Mauritania so far enjoy a 100 percent record.
In Windhoek, a Justin Shonga stoppage time equaliser saved Zambia from a second-straight defeat in this qualifying campaign as they settled for a 1-1 draw with Namibia.
After being stunned at home with a 1-0 defeat by Mozambique in the opening match, it looked as if Zambia were again headed for a loss when Benson Shilongo thrust Namibia ahead.
The 2012 African champions remain at the foot of Group K with just a point and three behind leaders Guinea-Bissau who were held 2-2 by Mozambique in Maputo.
Hopes of catching up with Guinea-Bissau, whom they meet in back-to-back ties next month, are not yet lost for Zambia with 12 points still to play for.
In a Group A encounter in Bata, Equatorial Guinea edged Sudan 1-0 to recover from the 3-0 defeat by Senegal in their opening match.
The win could not lift Equatorial Guinea into the top two as they remain below second-placed Madagascar and leaders Senegal who meet in Antananarivo on Sunday.
In Group D, Gambia were held Algeria 1-1 at Independence Stadium in Bakau.
FC Zurich striker Assan Ceesay found the target for Gambia who were fancying their chances against the Algerians, who were saved by Baghdad Bounedjah.
Algeria remain on top of the group, waiting for the clash between Togo and Benin on Sunday.
The East African derby between Uganda and Tanzania ended in a 0-0 stalemate in Kampala.
The Cranes of Uganda will remain on top of Group L with four points even if Lesotho beat Cape Verde with a slim margin on Sunday.
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