Cameroon reach AFCON knockouts after leaving Gambia in the dust

Akhil Fisher

Cameroon's defender #4 Christopher Wooh celebrates scoring his team's third goal AFP

In what was a must-win encounter, Cameroon’s late resurgence helped them advance to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) knockout stages, with the 3-2 victory over the Gambia breaking their record of no victories from their previous five final group game fixtures at the tournament.

Cameroon’s 3-1 defeat to Senegal was the first game across their last eight matches in which they conceded more than a single goal, and it wasn’t long before they almost conceded their first of the afternoon.

A cracking shot by the Gambia marksman Ali Sowe was firmly parried away by Fabrice Ondoa, as the Scorpions threatened to take the lead within 10 minutes of kick-off.

However, Rigobert Song’s men comfortably took charge of possession thereafter, relying heavily on the showmanship of their shot-stopper to play spoilsport and deny the Gambia the chance to open their account this AFCON campaign.

The Nîmes Olympique keeper pulled off two impressive saves in quick succession to keep the scores level heading into the interval, the best of which denied Musa Barrow’s venomous drive from inside the box.

Georges-Kevin N'Koudou missed a wonderful chance to break open the deadlock immediately after the restart, crashing his effort from point-blank range off the woodwork, before Cameroon’s creator-in-chief turned provider.

The Indomitable Lions emerged with the goods via Karl Toko Ekambi’s header as the 31-year-old squeezed his way past two defenders to break open the deadlock, netting his 14th international goal.

However, the Scorpions did sting back without delay, with Jallow latching onto an inch-perfect cross and drilling home a low drive to upset the five-time AFCON champions as the final quarter-hour dawned.

Minutes later, Ekambi rattled the crossbar at the other end before the Gambia dramatically took the lead five minutes from FT, with substitute Ebrima Colley netting a strong shot into the far corner to upset the Indomitable Lions.

However, all was not lost, as they were gifted the equaliser moments later when James Gomez turned a low cross into his own net to suppress his nation’s joy.

Further late drama ensued, as Christopher Wooh rose high amid a crowded box to head home the winner from a corner delivery and confirm Cameroon’s extraordinary advancement into the AFCON knockout stages.

While many thought the Gambia had equalised deep into stoppage time, Muhammed Sanneh’s deliberate Maradona-esque handball soon turned distasteful, as Tom Saintfiet’s men crashed out of the tournament without a point to their name.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Karl Toko Ekambi (Cameroon)