Cameroon staged a comeback with two late goals, securing a spot in the last 16 of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations by defeating The Gambia in a thrilling match and eliminating their opponents from the tournament.
The five-time champions secured the second spot in Group C based on goals scored.
Rigobert Song’s team is set to face Nigeria at Abidjan’s Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium on Saturday at 20:00 GMT.
Although The Scorpions seemed to shatter Cameroon’s hopes with a 93rd-minute goal, it was disallowed due to a handball. Guinea’s 2-0 loss against group leaders Senegal allowed Cameroon to move ahead of them in the final standings. However, the Syli National advances as one of the four best third-placed teams.
Following their exit without earning a single point, The Gambia’s coach Tom Saintfiet resigned. Despite being the lowest-ranked team in the competition at 126th globally, they were close to causing a major upset.
Ebrima Colley’s goal, putting them ahead 2-1 with less than six minutes left in normal time, seemed to extend Saintfiet’s tenure.
However, James Gomez inadvertently redirected the ball into his own net, making it 2-2 two minutes later when he attempted to intercept Enzo Tchato’s cross.
Having been on the brink of elimination, Cameroon climbed into second spot a minute into added time when Christopher Wooh rose to head a corner beyond Baboucarr Gaye’s dive.
The abundance of late twists continued when Muhammed Sanneh – one of five changes made by Saintfiet – turned in a cross for a goal that was disallowed for handball by a VAR check.
Onana dropped by Indomitable Lions
Signs of the impending drama emerged during a promising start by the underdogs, positioned 80 places below Cameroon in FIFA’s rankings, and who reached the quarter-finals in their debut in 2021.
Cameroon’s head coach, Song, made the most high-profile change by dropping Andre Onana in one of four alterations to the starting lineup. In Onana’s place, Fabrice Ondoa, the cousin of Manchester United’s goalkeeper, was reinstated.
Ondoa was quickly called into action, making a crucial save to deny Ali Sowe’s angled strike at his near post in an end-to-end first half where the underdogs had the better chances. Only a well-timed block by Jacob Mendy prevented Cameroon forward Karl Toko Ekambi from unleashing a close-range shot on the turn.
Additionally, Ondoa thwarted the efforts of the recalled Yankuba Minteh, who was left unmarked at the far post, as he attempted a header towards the goal from Musa Barrow’s corner.
Despite a period of sustained pressure from Gambia, Ondoa seemed to urge his teammates to elevate their defensive performance. However, Cameroon only showed improvement after the halftime break.
Following Indomitable Lions forward Georges-Kevin Nkoudou’s powerful shot against the crossbar five minutes into the second half, Toko Ekambi connected with Nkoudou’s well-placed delivery six minutes later, scoring with a header to break the deadlock.
However, The Gambia quickly equalized as Ablie Jallow found himself unmarked in the box and skillfully volleyed in from Alieu Fadera’s cross.
Toko Ekambi later struck the crossbar with a powerful effort before Colley’s goal sent shockwaves through the Stade de la Paix, initiating a sequence of three goals in seven minutes that ultimately determined Cameroon’s fate in a remarkable conclusion.