Video/Africa CupWith left back Chaker Alhadhur as goalkeeper, the Comoros failed to surprise host country Cameroon at the Africa Cup. However, that was partly thanks to Andre Onana, who kept Cameroon going several times. Onana was the star, but for the neutral spectator Alhadhur was the big hero of the evening. It became 2-1 for Cameroon.
The Comoros, making their debut at the Africa Cup, had no goalkeeper left for the eighth final against Cameroon. First goalkeeper Salim Ben Boina suffered a shoulder injury and second goalkeeper Ali Ahamada tested negative on Monday, but he was not allowed to play according to the protocols of the African Football Association (CAF). Ahamada had not yet completed the mandatory five-day quarantine. In total, nine players and three staff members were infected with corona in the Comoros.
RKC defender Saïd Bakari did start, just like Alhadhur, who had taped his jersey number 3 to his keeper’s uniform. The occasional goalkeeper is normally left back of the French Ajaccio, active on the second level in France. The fact that Cameroon, host country and five-time African Cup winner, was the opponent, made the task almost impossible for the Comoros in advance.
Especially when the Comoros received a red card within seven minutes. Captain Nadjim Abdou put his studs on the lower leg of Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu and after the intervention of the VAR he had to leave. For example, the Comoros had to stunt against Cameroon with a left back on goal and one man less.
That didn’t work, although Ajax goalkeeper Onana had surprisingly more to do than Alhadhur. Where Onana had to perform several times (and did it well), Cameroon only scored once in the first half via Karl Toko Ekambi. That ball went in immediately and that 1-0 was also the halftime score. Just before Cameroon’s goal, Alhadhur had to intervene once. He did that on a long ball, typical of a left back, with his head instead of his hands.
Double digits? So that was out of the question. In fact, it was Onana again in the second half who saved the lax Cameroon several times from an equalizer. Tellingly, the relief was when Vincent Aboubakar shot the 2-0 after seventy minutes behind Alhadhur, who made a nice double save before that. It was the sixth goal of the tournament for Aboubakar, who is currently the tournament’s top scorer.
That relief at Cameroon made way for a good portion of stress just before time, when the Comoros scored 2-1 ten minutes before the end, just after Onana had to make another world save. And how: Youssouf M’Changama rammed a free kick from great distance behind Onana in the crossroads. This time, the Ajax goalkeeper had no chance at all on the shot, which also impressed Cesc Fàbregas (former player of Arsenal, Chelsea and FC Barcelona). “Mamma Mia, what a goal,” the Spaniard wrote on Twitter.
So the compliments were for Alhadhur and the Comoros, but after the final whistle it was really Cameroon that, thanks to Onana, won and is now in the quarterfinals after a memorable evening in Yaoundé.
Gambia
Today’s first eighth final resulted in a surprise. The Gambia, which is participating in the African Cup tournament for the first time, won 0-1 against Guinea. Musa Barrow, striker of Bologna, made the only goal of the game against the Guinea of, among others, AS Roma player Amadou Diawara and RB Leipzig midfielder Ilaix Moriba.
In the final phase, Yusupha Njie from Gambia and Ibrahima Conte received a second yellow and therefore red card. Liverpool midfielder captain Naby Keita was missing from Guinea, he was suspended. The Gambia is now the opponent of Cameroon in the quarterfinals.
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