Guinea surprised everyone by holding five-time champions Cameroon to a 1-1 draw in Group C of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Despite playing with 10 men in the second half after captain Francois Kamano was sent off, Guinea managed to take the lead through Mohamed Bayo. However, Cameroon fought back with Frank Magri equalizing early in the second half. Despite their efforts, Cameroon couldn’t find the winning goal.
This unexpected result followed a series of surprising outcomes in the tournament, including Cape Verde defeating Ghana, Mozambique holding Egypt, and Equatorial Guinea drawing with Nigeria. In another match, title-holders Senegal dominated Gambia with a 3-0 victory, with Lamine Camara scoring twice.
Both teams also had players sent off during the match. Cameroon was without goalkeeper Andre Onana, who arrived in the Ivorian capital just hours before the game after playing for Manchester United in the Premier League. Coach Rigobert Song opted for Fabrice Ondoa as the starting goalkeeper, with two other options on the bench.
Vincent Aboubakar, Cameroon’s star forward and leading scorer in the 2022 Cup of Nations, was also absent due to a thigh injury. Guinea faced a setback before the match when Serhou Guirassy, who had scored 17 goals for Stuttgart in the Bundesliga this season, was ruled out with a knee injury. Despite these challenges, Bayo stepped up as the attacking spearhead and gave Guinea an early lead.
Cameroon’s initial attempt at goal was saved by Ondoa, but they failed to clear the ball and Bayo took advantage by scoring. Despite having possession, Cameroon couldn’t trouble Guinea’s goalkeeper, Ibrahima Kone.
Guinea had a counterattack where Sekou Sylla almost scored with a long-range shot that had Ondoa scrambling. However, the shot ended up hitting the roof of the net. Guinea faced a setback when Kamano was sent off in added time for a foul on Magri.
The referee changed his initial yellow card to a red after reviewing the VAR monitor. In the second half, Cameroon applied pressure and Magri equalized with a header. Kone made crucial saves for Guinea, including a close-range shot from Karl Toko Ekambi. The players had to deal with extreme heat, leading to water breaks in both halves. In the next round of group matches, Cameroon will play against Senegal, while Guinea will face Gambia in a double-header in Yamoussoukro.
