Five-time winners of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, struggled on Monday to contain the rampaging Syli National of Guinea as both countries played out a 1-1 draw.
The Monday evening duel at the Boigny Stadium in Yamoussoukro saw the Indomitable Lions labor to secure a draw against the ten-man Sylli National of Guinea in the second match of Group C at the ongoing AFCON in Cote D'Ivoire.
A more determined Syli Nationals took the bull by its horn, not minding the tag as tournament underdogs, to shock the Cameroon side in the 10th minute of play. The 26-year-old Le Houpe FC player from France, Mohammed Bayo, neatly beat the Cameroonian keeper for the first goal of the night. The first-choice goalkeeper, Andre Onana, stayed back for the Manchester United clash against Tottenham Hotspur match.
Guinea, for their rough tackles, however, got cautioned, as their Captain Francois Kamano received a yellow card in the 45+2 minute for a deliberate back stud on his opponent. However, a VAR review of the incident turned the yellow card into a Red Card. Kamano thus became the second player to receive a red card.
Cameroon fought back as N’koudu found the France-born Toulouse player, Frank Magri, who is on a yellow card, to provide the much-needed equalizer in the 51st minute.
Cameroon should have won easily with a 14-6 shot advantage; 70-30% ball possession, meaning the Lions were in full control of the game. Cameroon strung together 447 passes with 81% accuracy compared to Guinea's 204 passes with 60% accuracy, indicating they could have taken advantage of their opponents with better planning. There were equal foul records of 14-14.
Senegal now leads Group C with 3 goals and 3 points; Cameroon is second with a goal and a point; Guinea is 3rd with a goal and a point, while Gambia is at the bottom with no goal and no point.
The Sylli National or Elephants, ranked 80th in the world, is making its 14th appearance at the AFCON but has only one podium finish in Ethiopia '76 when they played a 1-1 draw with Morocco, and the gold was awarded to the North Africans.
ADD A COMMENT :