2017 AFCON champions Cameroon dramatically booked their spot in the Round of 16 in the 2023 edition as they defeated Gambia 3-2 at Stade de la Paix in Bouaké on Tuesday, www.aclsports.com reports.
It was a tension-soaked match as the Indomitable Lions needed a win to stay in the competition and star goalkeeper Andre Onana made headlines as he was dropped to the bench by Rigobert Song. On the other hand, The Gambians, who reached the quarterfinals in Cameroon 2021, needed a win to also stand a chance of going through.
After an eventual first half that failed to produce goals, the second stanza came alive with all the drama as the outcome of the game eventually crushed Ghana’s slim chance of remaining in the competition.
Early in the second half, Cameroon came out fighting more with a bit of desire and they deservedly went in front through Karl Teko Ekambi with a precise flicked header in the 56th minute. In the 72nd minute, Gambia levelled up the score through Ablie Jallow’s volley.
The real drama evolved in the final five minutes of the game when the Scorpions went in front via Ebrima Colley’s cool finish. However, their celebrations were cut short when James Gomez, unfortunately, scored a heartbreaking own goal two minutes later.
All Cameroon needed was a goal to keep their dream alive and Christopher Wooh’s header from an outswinging corner from Georges-Kevin N’koudou at the start of stoppage time saw the scoreline become 3-2. Late on, the Scorpions thought they had levelled things up once again through Colley but the VAR showed that he used the hand to turn the cross towards goal, thus the goal was rightly disallowed.
Cameroon qualified as runners-up behind Senegal to set up a mouth-watering clash with rivals Nigeria on Saturday in Abidjan.
In the other dead rubber game, defending champions Senegal strolled past Guinea 2-0 to finish the group stage with three wins. Abdoulaye Seck and IIliman Ndiaye scored the goals in the second half.
Mauritania make history
Mohamed Dellahi’s 37th-minute goal for Mauritania against Algeria earned them their first-ever win at the AFCON tournament. Incredibly, the result sent the Mourabitounes through to the next round, while the 2019 champions were dumped out without a win in what will be remembered as a catastrophic campaign.
The other game between Angola and Burkina Faso ended in a win for the former following goals scored in either half from Mabululu and Zini at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamousskro.
So, Amir Abdou’s Mauritania, who finished third in Group D behind Angola and Burkina Faso, reached the knockout stages as one of the best four third-placed teams and will face Cape Verde in the round of 16 on Sunday.
