Cameroon booked their spot in the last eight at the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco with an impressive 2-1 win over South Africa, SportPremi Reports.
The clash which took place at the Agdal Medina Stadium in Rabat witnessed three goals as the Indomitable Lions progressed to the next round.
Junior Tchamadeu opened scoring in the first half, before Christian Kofane netted for a second straight game with a second for Cameroon after the break.
Bafana Bafana grabbed a late consolation through Evidence Makgopa, but it was too late as the Indomitable Lions advanced.
Cameroon edge South Africa in nervy win
South Africa qualified for the Round of 16 via a second placed finish in Group B, while Cameroon also finished in second spot after they were dramatically pipped to first place by defending champions Ivory Coast.
Bafana Bafana finished third in the last edition and started on the front foot, but Lyle Foster headed over from close range.
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The Burnley forward scored minutes later, but the strike was ruled out for offside by the linesman.
Cameroon then found the back of the net through Junior Tchamadeu in the 34th minute, with the goal given after surviving a VAR review for offside in the buildup as they took a 1-0 lead into the break.
The Indomitable Lions kicked off from where they left off and doubled their lead two minutes after the restart as Christian Kofane headed in a superb cross from Mahamadou Nagida.
South Africa were denied a goal back in the game as Epassy denied Kabini as Cameroon kept their two-goal advantage.
The goalkeeper then denied Mokoena from a freekick attempt minutes later, before Ronwen Williams saved an attempt from the impressive Kofane.
Carlos Baleba picked up a caution late in the game, ruling him out of their quarterfinal clash against Morocco in a very big blow.
Evidence Makgopa then scored a late goal for South Africa after finishing past Epassy to set up a tense finish to the clash.
The match ended 2-1 in favour of Cameroon, who advance past the Round of 16 at the expense of South Africa.
Players Ratings:
South Africa Players Ratings
- Williams – 6.2/10
- Mudau – 6.7/10
- Ngezana – 7.1/10
- Mbokazi – 6.8/10
- Kabini – 6.4/10
- Mokoena – 6.8/10
- Sibisi – 6.3/10
- Aubaas – 7.0/10
- Appollis – 6.7/10
- Foster – 6.6/10
- Mofokeng – 7.1/10
Substitutes
- Modiba – 7.4/10
- Makgopa – 7.5/10
- Mbule – 6.2/10
- Moremi – n/a
Cameroon Players Ratings
- Epassy – 7.8/10
- Tolo – 6.5/10
- Kotto – 8.0/10
- Malone – 7.2/10
- Yongwa – 6.7/10
- Baleba – 7.7/10
- Avom – 7.2/10
- Tchamadeu – 7.6/10
- Mbeumo – 6.5/10
- Kofane – 7.8/10
- Namaso – 7.2/10
Substitutes
- Nagida – 7.6/10
- Wooh – 6.2/10
- Kemen – 6.1/10
Man of the match
Samuel Kotto (8.0/10) – The Cameroon defender helped his side against the threat posed by South Africa attack as they progressed to the next round.
Key Stats
Ball Possession: South Africa 66% – 34% Cameroon
Total Shots: South Africa 18 – 10 Cameroon
Shots on target: South Africa 4 – 4 Cameroon
Pass Accuracy: South Africa 86% – 74% Cameroon
Corners: South Africa 6 – 3 Cameroon
What Next?
Cameroon have advanced to the quarterfinals where they will now face host nation Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Friday.
