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Cameroon won the opening match of CAN 2021 against Burkina Faso in group A on Sunday, at the Olembé stadium in the capital Yaoundé. The Burkinabe opened the scoring, but the Cameroonian team managed to reverse it before the break.
Those known as Indomitable Lions went on the attack. The Cameroonian team was surprised by Burkina Faso at the start of the match, but managed to reverse the opening match of the African Cup of Nations (CAN) on Sunday, January 9 thanks to a double by its captain Vincent Aboubakar (2-1), chosen party man.
Madness had taken hold of Yaoundé for the start of this CAN, which Cameroon has been waiting for since 2014. The various postponements due to delays in preparation and the Covid-19 pandemic have not altered the enthusiasm of Indomitable Lions fans, that they would not have missed the event for the world.
A successful opening ceremony
It would not have been possible to dream of a more beautiful poster for the inauguration of the brand new Olembé stadium. Following a colorful and energetic opening ceremony to the glory of African football, the opening match between the Indomitable Lions and the Burkina Faso Stallions, a reissue of the 1998 African Cup of Nations, was able to begin.
The Lions, encouraged by the large number of fans who had come to the event, put pressure on their rival from the beginning. On the first attack play, the former French Caen player, Steeve Yago, made an extremely hard tackle, which was logically sanctioned with a yellow card (2nd).
The match started hard, with some strong interventions on both sides of the field. The Indomitable Lions had the game under control, but they lacked technical precision, as in the case of winger Moumi Ngamaleu, who saw how his corners and centers were easily rejected by the Burkinabe defense.
Lions lead and then stumble
Cameroon also lacked rigor in their resumes, multiplying the number of dangerous turnovers. And when it seemed they were dominating the Burkinabe, the Indomitable Lions conceded the first goal. Burkina Faso had two great chances from a corner. The third was the appropriate one with Gustavo Sangaré, Quevilly midfielder, who scored with the sole of his foot (24 ‘, 0-1).
It was a jug of cold water at the Olembé stadium. The local team had to wait a bit to get back into the game. It was not until another corner by Moumi Ngamaleu that the situation became clear for the local team: Traoré knocked down Zambo Anguissa in the area. Thanks to the VAR, the referee signals a penalty. Captain Vincent Aboubakar was quick to draw (40 ‘, 1-1).
Already in injury time of the first half, the Cameroonian Tolo was cut by Dayo inside the area. Again Aboubakar doubled the lead with another penalty. It wasn’t like that, but Cameroon was ahead at halftime. There was no game for it, but Cameroon finished the first half ahead.
Vincent Aboubakar, the hero
After going behind, Burkina Faso allowed their rival to play the match in the second half. The stallions sought the winning goal on the free kicks. This was the case with Bertrand Traoré’s set piece, which Onana was about to miss in the 47th minute.
Vincent Aboubakar was about to score a hat trick, but after many minutes of waiting his goal was finally disallowed for offside in the 61st minute. Moments later, he forgets to serve his teammate Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting, and prefers the shot, which misses resoundingly (77 ‘). The hero of the match was substituted shortly after to the standing ovation of the Lions fans.
The team’s first victory in the competition was solid, if not brilliant. This is a big step towards the round of 16 and they can already look forward to their next opponent, Ethiopia, who will face Cape Verde in their opening match.
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