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HomeAfrica Cup Of NationsCameroon Snatch A Dramatic Winner Against Gambia To Reach Round Of 16

Cameroon Snatch A Dramatic Winner Against Gambia To Reach Round Of 16

Christopher Wooh scored a goal late in the referee’s additional time to see Cameroon beat The Gambia 3-2 in a dramatic game at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations group C match at de la Paix de Bouake Stadium on Tuesday. 

Gambia’s Mohamed Sanneh thought he had an equalizer to make 3-3 in the last minute after Wooh’s goal, but he flicked it with his hand and the goal was chalked off.   

It was a huge relief for Cameroon, who needed to win to reach the round of 16.  

It was another breathless game as it was end-to-end stuff when it came to goals, with Gambia thinking they had won but not, and the same with Cameroon, who eventually were the winners at the end.  

Cameroon, who dropped Andre Onana to the bench and his cousin Fabrice Ondoa took his place, came to this game having had one point from two matches, lying third in the table while The Gambia was at the bottom with zero points.      

The Gambia, the lowest population nation in these AFCON finals, made things difficult for Cameroon, started the better of the sides, steaming forward to attack strongly on the counterattack, especially on the left-hand side, with Rigobert Song’s side dropping in numbers to clear the danger.  

Ondoa produced a smart save, diving to his right to deny Musa Barrow just outside the box, with the game heading to half-time without a goal.  

But drama unfolded in the second half. Karl Toko-Ekambi, who was back into the starting line-up, broke the deadlock for Cameroon, meeting Kevin Nkoudou’s cross in the 56th minute.    

Incidentally, when Gambia lost to Cameroon two years ago in the quarter-finals where the former was making their debut, in what was a record-breaking tournament by the Scorpions, Ekambi scored twice to knock them out.  

The tempo of Gambia appeared to have dropped in the second half and their power of attacking in the first half was lost.  

But soon they regained the tempo. They found an equalizer through Abjie Jallow who steered a shot past Ondoa in the 72nd minute. It was Gambia’s first goal in the competition. 

Ekambi, who is set to be coached by Pitso Mosimane at Abha Club FC in Saudi Arabia, had a shot which came off the crossbar, as the game was opened.  

But that missed chance, Gambia punished Cameroon as Ebrahim Colley, on his first touch, steered to what he thought was a winner with a few minutes later 

But Cameroon came back again to equalize as Gambia’s James Gomez, trying to clear the ball, scored in his net to make it 2-2 in the 85th minute, in another dramatic day in these AFCON finals.     

But Wooh was left unmarked from another Nkoudou delivery, this time from a corner, to power a winner in the 91st minute.  

Cameroon joins Senegal, Nigeria, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, and Cape Verde as outright teams in the knockout stages.   

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