Hosts Cameroon are through to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations but only after labouring to a 2-1 win over a Comoros side who were forced to start an outfield player in goal and played most of the game with 10 men.

The Comoros started with left-back Chaker Alhadhur between the posts in Yaounde after two of their three goalkeepers were ruled out due to Covid-19 while the other was missing due to injury.

They then had captain Nadjim Abdou sent off after just seven minutes, and Karl Toko-Ekambi put Cameroon in front before skipper Vincent Aboubakar netted his sixth goal of the tournament.

Despite that it was a heroic performance from the Comoros, who kept the tie alive until the end thanks to Youssouf M’Changama’s stunning late free-kick.

The Indomitable Lions keep their dream of winning the Cup of Nations on home soil alive as they advance to a last-eight tie against Gambia on Saturday, yet this was the Comoros’ night, despite the outcome.

The tiny Indian Ocean island nation qualified for the last 16 in their first ever appearance at the Cup of Nations after finishing as one of the best third-placed teams in the group stage.

However, their dream turned to a nightmare as a total of 12 players and staff tested positive for Covid-19 two days before the tie, including goalkeepers Ali Ahamada and Moyadh Ousseini.

Their other goalkeeper, Salim Ben Boina, was injured but they had hoped Ahamada would be able to start after he tested negative on the day of the game.

The 30-year-old Ahamada flew from Garoua, where he had been isolating, to Yaounde on Monday afternoon in the hope of being able to play, only for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to decide otherwise as his positive result had come just two days earlier.

Alhadhur, a reserve left-back for French Ligue 2 side Ajaccio, wore the gloves, with tape used to mark out his number three on the back of his goalkeeper’s jersey.

It was a farcical scene, and the Comoros’ plight worsened when Abdou was shown a straight red card for a foul on Moumi Ngamaleu after the Ethiopian referee went to review images of his challenge.

Rather than give up, the Comoros kept going and they only fell behind in the 29th minute when Aboubakar teed up Toko-Ekambi to slot home.

The islanders, whose coach Amir Abdou was among those missing after testing positive, almost equalised shortly after as Ahmed Mogni forced Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana into a fine save.

Aboubakar had a second-half effort disallowed for offside before making it 2-0 with 20 minutes left, finishing excellently after being picked out by Martin Hongla.

Yet there was no collapse from the Comoros, who pulled one back courtesy of M’Changama’s piledriver from 35 metres and go out with their heads held high.

Source: AFP

Musa Barrow scored a 71st-minute winner as Gambia continued their giant killing spree at the Africa Cup of Nations by pulling off an upset 1-0 win over Guinea in Bafoussam on Monday to advance to the quarter-finals.

Striker Barrow, one of the outstanding performers at the tournament, was set up by a defence-splitting pass from Yusupha Bobb but still had to take the ball away from the Guinea defence with his right foot and then put it onto his left for a fine finish to settle the last-16 tie.

The small west Africa country are the lowliest ranked of all the 24 participants at the tournament in Cameroon at 150 in the world and are making their debut at the finals.

They will play the winner of Monday’s later match between hosts Cameroon and the Comoros Islands.

Source: REUTERS

Veteran Youssef Msakni scored to give previously unimpressive Tunisia a shock 1-0 triumph over 10-man Nigeria in Garoua on Sunday in an Africa Cup of Nations last-16 match.

The north Africans now face Burkina Faso, who eliminated Gabon after a penalty shootout, in the quarter-finals of the flagship African tournament next Saturday.

Nigeria had a good chance to level at the start of added time when substitute Umar Sadiq got behind the defence and fired across goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said only to see his shot trickle wide of the far post.

Msakni struck on 47 minutes and Nigerian hopes of levelling were dealt a major blow midway through the second half when Alex Iwobi was red-carded.

Nigeria started as favourites to reach the quarter-finals having won all three group matches in the northwestern city, with record seven-time champions Egypt among their victims.

Tunisia, making a record 15th consecutive Cup of Nations appearance from 1994, fell to Mali and minnows Gambia in the first round and squeezed into the knockout phase among the four best third-placed teams.

While Nigeria were able to choose 12 substitutes, Tunisia could manage only eight due to a coronavirus outbreak in the camp.

Also missing due to Covid-19 was Tunisia coach Mondher Kebaier, who was isolating in coastal city Limbe at the other end of the central African country.

Tournament of surprises

Apart from being the more impressive in the group phase, the Nigerian Super Eagles also boasted an unbeaten record in five previous meetings with the Carthage Eagles, winning three and drawing two.

A lacklustre opening half produced only one shot on target, from Tunisia, as Nigeria were unable to recapture the first-round form that made them the only team among the 24 to boast a 100 percent record.

In a tournament full of surprises, another one arrived just after half-time when Qatar-based Msakni put the one-time Cup of Nations champions ahead.

Msakni, playing in his seventh Cup of Nations tournament, dribbled across the edge of the box before unleashing a curling shot that entered the net off the left arm of goalkeeper Maduka Okoye.

As Nigeria battled to break down a well-organised Tunisian defence, they suffered another blow midway through the second half when Iwobi had a yellow card changed to red after a VAR check.

Iwobi, an Everton winger and one of many Premier League players in Cameroon, had just come off the bench when he stamped on the ankle of Msakni.

Another substitute, Naim Sliti, almost doubled the Tunisian lead with 15 minutes remaining when he fired a shot toward the corner of the net only to be thwarted by a superb two-hand save from Okoye.

Nigeria had a chance to level as time ticked away, but Moses Simon sent a free-kick from just outside the box over the crossbar.

Source: AFP

Cameroon says that within four days, at least 1,500 football supporters have entered the country from neighboring Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to support their teams that have advanced to Round 16 in the Africa Football Cup of Nations, or AFCON. Gabon battles Burkina Faso Sunday, while Equatorial Guinea plays against Mali Wednesday. Tournament organizers require all fans to have COVID-19 tests before entering stadiums.

Cameroon’s immigration police said Saturday that buses carrying at least 900 football fans from Gabon and Equatorial Guinea have entered the central African state within 48 hours. Gabon and Equatorial Guinea are Cameroon’s southern neighbors.

The immigration police said about 600 other football fans from Gabon and Equatorial Guinea arrived in Cameroon by sea and by air this week.

Cameroon says the influx came after Gabon and Equatorial Guinea qualified for the knockout stage of the Africa Football Cup of Nations, or AFCON, in Cameroon. Gabon played a 2-2 draw Tuesday against Morocco in Yaoundé, and both teams advanced.

Equatorial Guinea sealed their place after a 1-0 win against Sierra Leone in a group match played at Limbes Omnisport Stadium in Cameroon’s English-speaking South West region Thursday.

Thirty-year-old Prosper Ebang is among the 1,500 supporters from Gabon and Equatorial Guinea Cameroon police say have entered Cameroon. Ebang says he wants to be part of a continental soccer event in which his country’s national football team, the Panthers of Gabon, are doing well.

Ebang says no citizen who loves Gabon can be indifferent when the Panthers are making Gabon proud with the excellent football exhibited in Cameroon during AFCON. He says he is certain that Gabon will reach the AFCON final if Cameroon continues providing a conducive environment for the games.

Felix Nguele Nguele is the governor of Cameroon’s South region that borders Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. He says Gabon and Equatorial Guinea officials have informed him that hundreds of other supporters are still on their way to Cameroon.

Ngueles says he has asked police and military in Cameroon’s southern border to ensure the safety of football fans and supporters from Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. He says he knows that people with evil intentions may want to disturb the visiting supporters since tensions mounted between Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea in November.

On November 30, 2021, Cameroon said Equatorial Guinea was deporting thousands of Cameroonians who were living in the neighboring state illegally, citing national security concerns. Authorities in the capital, Malabo, said the Cameroonians fled conflict in western Cameroon, where government troops have been fighting anglophone separatists.

Videos from Cameroonians deported from Equatorial Guinea flooded social media platforms including Facebook and WhatsApp. In the video, Cameroonians claiming to have been forcibly sent out of Equatorial Guinea promised to chase football fans from the neighboring country visiting Cameroon for AFCON from January 9 to February 6.

Kisito Esua is president of the nongovernmental organization South West Youth League, headquartered in Limbe, an English-speaking southwestern town. Esua says the league is teaching youths to be hospitable to fans coming to Cameroon to support their football teams. He spoke via a messaging app from Limbe.

“The influx of fans and supporters from Gabon and Equatorial Guinea is so massive,” said Esua. “The fans have been coming in in their numbers by air, land and sea and we think that the turnout tomorrow will be something spectacular. So, we have made sure that the environment is so friendly, convivial and conducive.”

Cameroon’s Public Health ministry says the supporters who have arrived within the past 48 hours must respect COVID-19 restriction guidelines imposed by the Confederation of African Football. CAF says people must provide negative COVID-19 test results that are not more than 24 hours old as well as proof they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 to gain access to stadiums for AFCON matches.

The embassies of Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in Yaoundé say all the visiting fans have agreed to respect Cameroonian laws and COVID-19 restrictions instituted by Cameroon and CAF during their stay.

Source: VOA

Reigning champions Algeria were dumped out of the Africa Cup of Nations after an abject 3-1 defeat against the Ivory Coast as the group stage came to a conclusion on Thursday with Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea and tiny tournament debutants the Comoros all securing places in the last 16.

Franck Kessie, Ibrahim Sangare and Arsenal’s Nicolas Pepe all scored to put the Ivory Coast 3-0 up against Algeria in Cameroon’s economic capital Douala, before Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez missed a penalty for the 2019 champions.

Sofiane Bendebka eventually pulled one back with their first goal in over four hours of football at this year’s tournament, but it was too little, too late for Djamel Belmadi’s team.

It is the fifth time in the last six Cups of Nations that the reigning champions have failed to make the AFCON knockout phase, but there has arguably never been a worse title defence.

Algeria came to the tournament on an unbeaten run stretching back over three years but they were held by Sierra Leone in their opening match and then lost to Equatorial Guinea to suffer a first defeat in 36 games.

They finish bottom of their group with a single point.

‘Failure’

“A failure, simple as that,” was how Belmadi summed up their tournament.

“We never managed to take our chances, right from the start of the competition. Even penalties we had difficulty with. We just weren’t good enough.”

Their demise was lapped up by the fans at the Japoma Stadium, with the 50,000-capacity ground filling up as the game went on.

The crowd was given as just over 30,000, the maximum that could be allowed in due to the 60 percent capacity limit imposed as part of coronavirus restrictions, but it looked like more than that. Many fans invaded the pitch in chaotic scenes of celebration at the end.

The Ivory Coast, the 2015 champions, clearly had the backing of the crowd and they will stay in Douala for a heavyweight last-16 tie against Mohamed Salah’s Egypt next Wednesday.

“I am very, very satisfied about what my team has done tonight,” said the Ivory Coast’s French coach, Patrice Beaumelle, who has twice won the AFCON as an assistant coach and had some sympathy for Algeria and their failed attempt to retain the title.

“It is always difficult because it is a coveted trophy and when we won it with Zambia in 2012 that inspired a lot of teams as well.”

Equatorial Guinea go through in second place in Group E after defeating Sierra Leone 1-0 in Limbe thanks to a superb first-half strike from Pablo Ganet.

Kei Kamara missed a penalty for Sierra Leone as they go out while Equatorial Guinea stay in Limbe for a last-16 tie against Mali on January 26.

Mali and Gambia win

Mali finished top of Group F after a 2-0 win over west African neighbours Mauritania in the late game in Douala, with Massadio Haidara giving them a second-minute lead before Ibrahima Kone added a penalty early in the second half.

It was a third successful penalty in as many games for Norway-based striker Kone, as Mauritania go home without a point or a goal.

Tournament debutants Gambia had already sealed a place in the knockout phase before claiming a remarkable 1-0 win over Tunisia in their last group match in Limbe.

Ablie Jallow’s goal deep in injury time gave Gambia the victory and they will now play Guinea in the last 16 in Bafoussam on Monday.

Tunisia were deprived of 12 players who tested positive for Covid-19 on the eve of the game, including star man Wahbi Khazri, and they have to settle for advancing as one of the four best third-placed teams.

That means the 2004 champions have a quick turnaround and must head north to play Nigeria — the only team to win all three group games — in Garoua on Sunday.

Thursday’s results also allowed the Comoros, the small Indian Ocean island nation, to progress to the last 16 in their first appearance at the tournament.

They will face hosts Cameroon in the last 16.

Source: AFP

Super Eagles legend, Sunday Oliseh, has named the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon as genuine title contenders for the AFCON 2021.

Cameroon last won the title in 2017 after defeating Egypt at Gabon, courtesy of goals from Nicolas Nkoulou and Vincent Aboubakar.

Oliseh who is no stranger to winning titles himself, after lifting the trophy in 1994, showered his admiration and praise for the Cameroonian side via his Twitter handle.

“Tall, strong, solid, aggressive, compact hosts & relatively well organized! ” the former Super Eagles team coach wrote.

Despite a flaw of being non-progressive at times in their play, that didn’t deter the 47-year-old from pronouncing them as credible contenders for the AFCON title.

“The indomitable Lions team, though at times static & not so nimble-footed, is definitely, in my opinion, a credible title contender and Fun to watch with Aboubakar. AFCON is heating up!!,” he said.

The Indomitable Lions qualified to the knock-out stages of the competition after an emphatic 4-1 victory over the Ethiopian side.

Cameroon are vying for a 6th AFCON title, one short of 7-time winners Pharaohs of Egypt.

Source: tv360 Nigeria

Cameroon captain Vincent Aboubakar scored his fifth goal of the Africa Cup of Nations and his already-qualified side were joined by Burkina Faso on Monday in the second round.

The Saudi Arabia-based forward, who turns 30 on Saturday, put Cameroon ahead and substitute Garry Rodrigues equalised for Cape Verde after half-time in a 1-1 draw in Yaounde.

Cyrille Bayala put Burkina Faso in front and Getaneh Kebede levelled for Ethiopia from a penalty in Bafoussam in another 1-1 draw that was enough to take the west Africans through.

Cameroon topped the final group table with seven points.  Burkina Faso edged Cape Verde on head-to-head records for second place after both accumulated four points. Ethiopia were eliminated with just one point.

While Cameroon and Burkina Faso are assured of last-16 places, Cape Verde must wait to see if they go through as one of the best four third-placed teams from the six groups.

Cameroon will remain in Yaounde to play a third-placed team on January 24, a day after Burkina Faso meet the Group C runners-up in Limbe.

Should Cape Verde survive, they will play the winners of Group B or Group C in Bafoussam or Yaounde on January 25.

“We won the group, which was our goal, although we wanted to win all our matches. We will continue to play here in Olembe,” said Cameroon coach Toni Conceicao.

“We had many chances. The Cameroonian team was not brilliant but still played a good game. We can do better, but if we take an overall reading, we were superior to our opponents in the group.”

Aboubakar is the first Cameroonian to score in all three group matches at a Cup of Nations since Samuel Eto’o achieved the feat with five goals at the 2008 finals in Ghana.

Ndaye Mulamba holds the record for the most goals by an individual in the flagship African tournament with nine for Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) in Egypt 48 years ago.

Aboubakar has a clear lead in the Golden Boot competition with his closest rivals, compatriot Karl Toko-Ekambi, Tunisian Wahbi Khazri, Malian Ibrahima Kone and Malawian Frank Mhango, scoring two each.

In Yaounde, Cameroon broke the deadlock on 39 minutes in a cagey opening half dominated by the two defences.

A free-kick from the Indomitable Lions was partially cleared and Aboubakar rifled a low, left-foot shot through a crowd of players and past goalkeeper Josimar ‘Vozinha’ Dias into the corner of the net.

Cape Verde reacted to falling behind by becoming more adventurous and troubled the Cameroon rearguard several times before half-time without managing an equaliser.

The island nation introduced Rodrigues for the second half and he equalised within eight minutes through an exquisite back-heel off a low cross that beat goalkeeper Andre Onana.

Aboubakar should have put Cameroon ahead again midway through the second half but blazed over when the ball ran loose inside the box.

Source: The Star.Co.ke

Two and a half years later than planned, Cameroon is hosting the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The tournament was moved to Egypt in 2019 over concerns about Cameroon’s readiness in terms of infrastructure, and in 2021, it was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cameroon’s hosting privilege has been controversial due to the country’s ongoing conflict, which began in 2016.

Anglophone Cameroonians constitute 20 percent of the population and feel marginalized by the Francophone majority. Cameroonian President Paul Biya speaks only French in public, and his government largely ignored the demands of lawyers and teachers who led peaceful protests against Francophone dominance in 2016. The conflict has since become increasingly violent, and many Anglophones now demand an independent state called Ambazonia.

Although rebels have launched attacks in the Cameroonian towns of Buea and Limbe, which are holding AFCON matches, Cameroon’s military says separatists have not been able to disrupt the games.

Authorities blamed separatists for the killing of a Cameroonian senator last week, and for a video shared on social media platforms in which armed men are seen ordering 15 children in school uniforms to strip naked. Separatist fighters vow to continue to carry out anti-AFCON operations. So far, fighting has deprived an estimated 700,000 students of their education, according to Human Rights Watch.

Some 6.2 million Cameroonians are in need of humanitarian aid, yet most media coverage has centered on the chaotic refereeing during the Tunisia-Mali game and AFCON’s potential disruption of the English Premier League.

On Dec. 10, 2021, the European Club Association wrote to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) threatening to withhold African players over the omicron variant, a decision that would have defied FIFA rules. Clubs also feared losing stars, such as Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, who plays for Egypt, and Sadio Mané for Senegal as well as Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez playing for Algeria.

Despite negotiations, Senegal and Nigeria have had to play without England-based stars Ismaïla Sarr and Emmanuel Dennis. It is rarely mentioned that the AFCON has a much longer lineage than the Premier League, which was founded in 1992. “Is there ever a tournament more disrespected than the Africa Cup of Nations?” former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright said via social media.

As the world’s second-oldest continental tournament, AFCON has always been political. The first ever tournament took place in 1957, as countries began gaining independence from colonial rule under the rhetoric of a tournament for an independent Africa, which would showcase the continent’s ability to organize and maintain its own sporting institutions.

The founding nations were Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, and South Africa, though the latter was subsequently dropped for refusing to allow nonwhite players into the national team.

Soccer, argued Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, could herald respect for Africa on a global platform. Ghana’s Black Stars went on to win AFCON in 1963—six years after independence. In 1996, host nation South Africa won its first championship with a multiracial post-apartheid team. CAF opposed FIFA World Cup’s allocation of one place shared between Africa and Asia well into the mid-1960s. It wasn’t until 1970, after Africans boycotted the 1966 games, that Africa and Asia were allocated separate places at the World Cup.

At least in some countries, competition seems to be bringing people together. When Nigeria scored a surprising win against Egypt early in this year’s tournament, “that one goal brought a nation of more than 250 ethnic groups … together,” British Nigerian journalist Aisha Rimi wrote in the Independent. At a time of growing insecurity in Nigeria, she argued, “AFCON serves as a reminder that there is something good that can come from the country.”

Culled from Foreign Policy

After swatting aside Mo Salah’s Egypt, then Sudan, Nigeria entrenched their status as top contenders to win the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations with a confident 2-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau.

Nigeria easily topped Group D with three straight wins – and in this latest match they kept their momentum going with pertinacity and creativity alike.

The Super Eagles dominated possession in the first half but lacked a cutting edge as Guinea-Bissau were hard to break down. But a sterling flurry of play in the 56th minute saw Kelechi Iheanacho break down the right and sends a magnificent ball across the box to Umar Sadiq – who tapped it into the net.

The next minute, Moses Simon came on and proceeded to light up the game, with scintillating, evasive runs down the left into the box. One such run saw him outmanoeuvre three Guinea-Bissau defenders before firing at the bar – only for it to bounce back for William Troost-Ekong to knock into the net, making it 2-0 for Nigeria in the 75th minute.

Source: France 24