Senegal saw off the threat of giant-killers Equatorial Guinea and won 3-1 in their Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final on Sunday to advance to the final four of the tournament in Cameroon.

Famara Diedhiou opened the scoring for Senegal, who then conceded a surprise equaliser to Jannick Buyla, only for substitutes Cheikhou Kouyate and Ismaila Sarr to come on and restore Senegal’s lead and put the result beyond doubt.

Senegal, one of the pre-tournament favourites, booked a semi-final meeting with Burkina Faso on Wednesday.

Earlier on Sunday in the first of two matches at the Ahmadou Ahidjou Stadium, Egypt edged Morocco 2-1 after extra time and will play host nation Cameroon in the other semi-final on Thursday.

Diedhiou got on the end of a defence-splitting pass from Sadio Mane after 28 minutes, outsprinted the centre backs and hit home with a first-time effort with his left foot.

It looked as if it might open the floodgates in a mismatch between Africa’s top-ranked team and an Equatorial Guinea side, who are 94 places beneath them in the FIFA rankings.

But Senegal were unable to add any more goals despite dominating the first half and then found themselves in a sticky situation five minutes after the resumption.

They had a penalty awarded against them when a pass from Iban Salvador struck captain Kalildou Koulibaly on the hand, but referee Victor Gomes changed his mind after reviewing his decision on the pitchside VAR screen.

Koulibaly was struck on the hand, but at close range and without his arm being away from his body.

Despite the disappointment of not getting a spotkick, Equatorial Guinea came storming forward and an interchange of passes on the edge of the area allowed Buyla to stab home a 57th-minute equaliser.

They had already beaten defending champions Algeria, Sierra Leone and Mali in their previous matches and were eyeing another major scalp.

Yet parity lasted less than 10 minutes as Kouyate restored his side’s lead, three minutes after coming on in the 65th minute.

A mix-up in the Equatorial Guinea defence saw the two centre backs challenge for the same high ball, spilling it backwards where Kouyate cleverly stole in and lifted his finish over goalkeeper Jesus Owono.

Senegal made sure of the result when Sarr had an easy tap-in in the 79th minute. He had come on for his first appearance of the tournament and immediately took hold of the ball, dominating the later stages of the contest.

It was his first game since he suffered a serious knee injury playing for Watford against Manchester United in November and his arrival at the tournament followed a tug-of-war over his availability between club and country.

By Haggai Fung Achuo

Mohamed Salah inspired Egypt to a place in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals on Sunday as the record seven-time champions came from behind to defeat Morocco 2-1 in extra time in Yaounde.

Sofiane Boufal’s early penalty put Morocco in front in the last-eight tie but skipper Salah equalised for Egypt early in the second half and then made the winner for Mahmoud Trezeguet 10 minutes into extra time.

Egypt will play hosts Cameroon in the semi-finals in Yaounde on Thursday.

Morocco took a 3-2 lead with one match drawn into the seventh showdown between the north African giants in the marquee African tournament.

Coaches Vahid Halilhodzic of Morocco and Carlos Queiroz of Egypt made two changes each after last-16 victories over Malawi and the Ivory Coast respectively.

Aymen Barkok was introduced on the right side of the Moroccan midfield in place of Imran Louza and forward Munir el Haddadi replaced injured Ayoub el Kaabi.

Star Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed Elshenawy failed to recover from an injury incurred against the Ivorians and Mohamed Abou Gabal took his place.

Midfielder Hamdy Fathy was also ruled out and Ayman Ashraf, normally a defender, came in with Queiroz conscious of the threat posed when Morocco right-back Achraf Hakimi drifts forward.

It took Hakimi just three minutes to make a major impact as Ashraf failed to connect with the ball and fouled the Paris Saint-Germain star, leading to a penalty after a VAR monitor check by the referee.

After fluffing a penalty against the Comoros, Morocco changed takers, and Boufal did not let the Atlas Lions down, slotting his kick into the right corner as Abou Gabal dived in the opposite direction.

The last time Egypt fell behind in the tournament, against Nigeria in their opening group match, they failed to equalise and had to settle for second place behind the Super Eagles in the final standings.

Desperate to atone

Desperate to atone for conceding the penalty, Ashraf brought a great two-hand parried save out of Morocco goalkeeper Yassine ‘Bono’ Bounou midway through the opening half.

Egyptian defenders were not shy to shoot from long range and Ahmed Fatouh tested Bounou, with the Sevilla shot-stopper once again proving equal to the task of preventing an equaliser.

Hakimi, who scored a brilliant match-winning goal direct from a free-kick against Malawi at the same ground five days ago, got a set-piece opportunity not far from the box, but fired wide.

Queiroz, the former Real Madrid manager and twice assistant to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, was constantly agitated and both the referee and the fourth official spoke to him.

The first half ended with Morocco retaining their one-goal advantage, and not much seen of Egypt captain and talisman Salah, with the Liverpool star seeking his second goal of the tournament.

Egypt replaced injured defender Ahmed Hegazy with Trezeguet at half-time and the Aston Villa forward was narrowly wide with a snap shot just four minutes into the second half.

Morocco were under the cosh and assertive Egypt levelled on 53 minutes as Salah tapped in from close range after Bounou could only parry a Mohamed Abdelmonem header off a corner.

Tempers boiled over minutes from time after Hakimi objected to being fouled by Mostafa Mohamed, triggering pushing from the teams and both players were booked by the overworked referee.

As Morocco gradually regained the ascendancy, Abou Gabal rescued Egypt, pushing a Nayef Aguerd header on to the underside of the crossbar, and with no further goals the match went to extra time.

Egypt went ahead on 100 minutes when three Moroccan defenders failed to stop Salah, whose cross was turned in at the far post by Trezeguet.

Source: AFP

The final of the Africa Cup of Nations will go ahead at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Sunday lifted its suspension of the venue where eight people died in a crush on January 24.

CAF’s announcement means that the second semi-final scheduled for February 3 will go ahead at the ground along with the February 6 final.

“Having noted the recommendations and undertakings from government in regard to additional security provisions…the CAF Organising Committee unanimously agreed to lift the suspension imposed on the Olembe Stadium,” African football’s governing body said in a statement.

“The Local Organising Committee and the government of Cameroon having significantly increased security and resources at the Olembe Stadium, (CAF) are confident that the safety and security of spectators and visitors will be assured.”

The disaster happened prior to last Monday’s last-16 tie between hosts Cameroon and the Comoros, when supporters were caught in a crush at the south entrance gate of the stadium.

The eight dead included a child, while 38 people were also injured.

The semi-final to be played at Olembe will see Cameroon play Egypt.

The other semi-final will be played at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, also in Yaounde, on February 2.

Source: AFP

Kids have been banned from attending Africa Cup of Nations matches following the stampede which killed a six-year-old girl.

The crush prior to Cameroon’s win over Comoros resulted in eight deaths and 38 injured.

And now, in response to the tragedy, the Cameroonian government have ordered 250 extra police officers for their quarter-final clash against the Gambia on Saturday.

Along with the increased security, children under the age of 11 will not be permitted into Africa Cup of Nations games for the rest of the tournament.

One match has also been taken away from the Olembe Stadium – where the stampede occurred.

And CAF president Patrice Motsepe insists the venue will not host the semis or final unless Cameroon soccer officials can guarantee it will be safe.

The announcements came as Cameroon Sports Minister Narcisse Mouelle Kombi confirmed the results of a government investigation were not yet available.

However, Kombi did reveal what they believe to be the cause of the stampede.

He said: “I will not be able to give you the results of investigations ordered by Cameroon President Paul Biya but the massive and late influx of supporters and spectators at Yaounde’s Olembe stadium caused the crush.”

Nearly 60,000 supporters attempted to enter the stadium, despite the attendance being capped at 48,000 due to Covid restrictions.

One of the reasons behind the late crush was that fans were watching coverage of another match prior to entering the stadium.

But the authorities are yet to address why security at the game directed fans towards a locked gate or why they were overwhelmed by the mass of people.

Kombi did go on to explain why extra police are being rolled out for the quarter-final at the weekend.

He said it is ‘to stop the uncivil behaviour of Cameroonians who want to force themselves into the stadium when they do not have entry tickets and negative COVID-19 test results’.

In order to attend matches at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, supporters must present negative Covid tests and proof they are vaccinated.

Another issue involving fans took place earlier in the tournament when 40 supporters invaded the pitch during a match between Algeria and Ivory Coast.

Cameroon were originally set to host the tournament in 2019 before it was stripped from them due to issues with stadium preparations.

Source: The Sun

Teenager Dango Ouattara scored on the stroke of halftime to ensure a 1-0 win for Burkina Faso over Tunisia in their Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final at the Roumde Adjia Stadium on Saturday.

Ouattara, 19, held off two defenders to strike home the ball from close range after a breakaway attack in the third minute of stoppage time at the end of the first half.

The striker, who later got himself sent off, was set on his way by a pass from inside his own half from Blati Toure as the Burkinabe played a clever counter-attacking game to advance to the last four of the tournament in Cameroon.

It is the third time in the last five editions of the continental championship that Burkina Faso have got to the semi-finals and they will next take on the winners of Sunday’s quarter-final in Yaounde between Senegal and Equatorial Guinea.

Source: REUTERS

Gambia went into this match as the tournament’s top giant-killers, but they were no match for confident Cameroon, who attacked in relentless waves to win decisively, with two strong goals by Lyon striker Karl Toko-Ekambi.

Hosts Cameroon installed themselves as competition favourites with a string of impressive victories, and this performance will only have boosted their confidence.

Surprisingly, minnows Gambia were one of the tournament’s most impressive teams – boasting giant-killing victories over Tunisia and then Guinea, with striker Musa Barrow demonstrating particular talent for capitalising on opponents’ errors.

But Cameroon were in a class of their own in this quarterfinal, dominating possession, seldom allowing Gambia anything close to a goalscoring opportunity. Toko-Ekambi put them one up shortly after half-time with an exquisite header from an equally sumptuous Collins Fai cross. Seven minutes later he made it two, launching an impreccably timed run from behind the Gambia defense to tap a low cross into the back of the net. That extinguished any remaining doubt about who would prevail.

Source: France 24

A stampede that led to the deaths of eight people outside an Africa Cup of Nations stadium was caused by a “reckless” decision to open a gate in the face of a “flood of people”, Cameroon’s sports minister said Friday.

“That entry gate was momentarily closed by security forces in the face of a surge of spectators despite other entry gates being in operation,” said Narcisse Mouelle Kombi at a press conference in Douala.

“Overwhelmed by this surge of people, the security forces took the reckless decision to open the south gate, leading to a crush,” which caused the tragedy on Monday at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde.

The eight dead included a child, while 38 people were also injured.

Witnesses told AFP that a mass of people were crushed up against gates at the southern entrance before police eventually opened them.

Hundreds of supporters then broke through, causing a stampede.

The minister also acknowledged that the number of security staff was “insufficient” at the 60,000-capacity Olembe Stadium in Cameroon’s capital for the last-16 match between the host nation and the Comoros.

However, he blamed the number of people trying to get in with fake or already-used tickets, or even without tickets, for the stampede.

He also said too many supporters arrived late despite gates opening five hours before kick-off and the government closing schools and public services in the afternoon to allow people to watch and attend matches.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, Patrice Motsepe, the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), announced that Sunday’s quarter-final due to be played at the Olembe Stadium would be switched to the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, also in Yaounde.

He also announced that CAF would not allow other matches to be played at Olembe Stadium if the Cameroonian authorities did not submit an investigation report by Friday.

“That gate was supposed to be open because if it was open they would have walked through, and for inexplicable reasons it was closed,” Motsepe said on Tuesday.

The sports minister said a report on the investigation, while not yet made public, had been delivered to CAF on Friday and added that the priority for Cameroon’s government was to reopen the Olembe Stadium as soon as possible.

“We are absolutely not playing down what happened but no country is safe from the threat of such accidents or disasters,” he said before announcing several measures intended to make the venue safe.

The measures included moving ticket and Covid-19 test checkpoints further away from the stadium, increasing the number of security personnel and banning children under 11 from matches.

Crowds at all venues had been officially limited to 60 percent of capacity for the tournament because of the pandemic, but the cap is raised to 80 percent when Cameroon play.

For the moment the second Cup of Nations semi-final, to be played on February 3, and the February 6 final are still scheduled at Olembe Stadium.

The first semi-final, originally scheduled for Douala on February 2, has also been moved to the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, but the reason given for that was the state of the playing surface in Cameroon’s economic capital.

That means the final game to be played at Douala’s 50,000-capacity Japoma Stadium will be on Saturday when Cameroon face Gambia in the quarter-finals.

Source: AFP

Hosts Cameroon will go into the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals wary of an ignominious exit as they take on giant killers Gambia in the first of the weekend’s matches.

Cameroon have been far from convincing as they have advanced through the group stages and one round of knockout matches while lowly ranked Gambia have thrilled with their attacking approach and improbable run to the last eight of the tournament.

Burkina Faso and Tunisia meet in Garoua in Saturday’s second quarter-final clash while Egypt play Morocco and Senegal take on another upstart in Equatorial Guinea in Sunday’s two quarter-finals in Yaounde.

Gambia are making their Nations Cup debut and are ranked 150 in world football – the lowest of all 24 teams at the Cup of Nations finals – but have yet proven able to win two out of three group matches, and then upset Guinea in the last-16, conceding only one goal, which was from the penalty spot, in four matches in Cameroon.

Cameroon, in contrast, have turned in largely mediocre performances and, although they had all the odds heavily staked in their favour in their last game against the other tournament debutants, Comoros Islands, they laboured through to the quarter-finals in a controversial 2-1 victory.

“We have seen teams ranked as underdogs stand up to high calibre countries and my players have been warned,” said Cameroon coach Toni Conceiçao.

Elimination of the hosts at this stage would come as a blow to tournament already hard hit by the death of eight spectators in a stampede ahead of Cameroon’s last game on Monday.

As a result, Yaounde’s Olembe Stadium, where the final is scheduled to be played on Feb. 6, is not being used this weekend.

Cameroon take on Gambia in Douala where the condition of the pitch at the Japoma Stadium been declared poor and where there will be no further games, the Confederation of African Football decided this week.

On Sunday, both matches are being played at Yaounde’s older Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium.

Egypt’s clash with Morocco will be keenly anticipated and could reveal the identity of the eventual winner although Senegal remain strong favourites, even if they, too, have not delivered any strong evidence of their potential.

Senegal have scored only three goals in four outings at the tournament but have not conceded a goal and will be heavily fancied to end the run of Equatorial Guinea, although Sadio Mane’s participation is unsure after he suffered concussion in their last game on Tuesday.

The quarter-final winners advance to the semi-finals, both to be played in Yaounde, on Wednesday and Thursday.

Source: Reuters

The President of the Cameroon Football Federation( FECAFOOT) Samuel Eto’o says Cameroon does not control COVID-19 testing at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

Eto’o is saying this after claims the host nation is manipulating testing in favour of the Indomitable Lions.

Comoros had more than 10 of their players return positive COVID-19 results ahead of their round of 16 game against Cameroon on Monday, leaving them without a recognized goalkeeper with a defender keeping the posts as they lost 2-1.

Burkina Faso also had more than four of their players test positive for the virus prior to the 2021 Afcon opening game against Cameroon.

People have used these to accuse Cameroon of disadvantaging their opponents with COVID-19 testing ahead of meetings but Eto’o is not having any of that.

He said: “I have never accepted cheating, the agency chosen to do COVID-19 tests is 100% under Caf control, the Cameroonian government does not manage COVID tests, I humbly wish my country is respected.”

Source: Footy-Ghana.com