Cameroon eliminates South Africa from AFCON quarter-final contention
Cameroon advanced to the Africa Cup of Nations quarter finals with a narrow 2-1 victory over South Africa in their round of 16 encounter on Sunday, thanks to goals from Junior Tchamadeu and Christian Kofane around the break at Al Medina Stadium in Rabat.
The opener came in the 34th minute when Tchamadeu found the net, and then the young Bayer Leverkusen striker Kofane nodded in the decisive second just two minutes into the second half.
South Africa mounted a late comeback with Evidence Makgopa scoring, but it proved insufficient, allowing the five-time title holders Cameroon to progress and face tournament hosts Morocco in a blockbuster quarter-final clash on Friday.
Cameroon enters that fixture with composure, aware that the hosts bear the weight of expectations to claim their first AFCON trophy in half a century before their passionate fans.
"First, I want to enjoy this win. The Morocco game is still far off," commented Cameroon manager David Pagou.
"The players are rejoicing right now. We endured a tough match despite the result, and everyone requires some recovery time."
For Cameroon, making the last eight marks a triumph following a turbulent preparation period, where federation chief and Lions icon Samuel Eto'o dismissed coach Marc Brys in favour of Pagou.
Pagou outsmarted South Africa's Hugo Broos, who vowed no leniency against Cameroon, nearly a decade after guiding them to their previous continental success at the Nations Cup in Gabon.
Bafana Bafana face significant letdown after securing third place at the previous AFCON two years prior, yet they can shift focus to the forthcoming World Cup campaign.
"The team is deeply upset and downcast about our exit today," Broos stated.
"We created three clear openings in the opening half hour, which should have sealed it, but we suffered due to Cameroon's fortunate strike," he continued.
"Regrettably, they added another early in the second period, making a turnaround extremely challenging."
Eto'o present at the match
South Africa's Relebohile Mofokeng missed a prime chance within the first seven minutes, firing over from a one-on-one after Cameroon defender Che Malone mishandled a straightforward pass.
Lyle Foster thought he had equalised only for the offside ruling to disallow it, and Cameroon soon took the lead shortly after the 30-minute mark.
Following a partially cleared corner by the South African backline, the ball reached Carlos Baleba near the box edge.
He controlled it and attempted a shot that deflected kindly for Tchamadeu, the Stoke City full-back born in London, to slot home from near point-blank range.
This strike, verified after an extended VAR review, sparked joy among the dominant Cameroonian supporters in the 14,127 attendance, including twice an AFCON champion as a player, Eto'o.
Rather than gaining momentum post-interval, South Africa conceded again almost immediately upon resumption.
From a left-wing delivery by replacement Mahamadou Nagida, Kofane powered in his second tournament goal with a header.
Cameroon's shot-stopper Devis Epassy produced solid stops against Samukele Kabini and a Teboho Mokoena set-piece, prior to Makgopa converting a low pass from substitute Aubrey Modiba in the 88th minute.
This sparked a frantic conclusion, though Cameroon managed to cling on anxiously.