YAOUNDE - Hosts Cameroon overcame another hesitant start to crush Ethiopia 4-1 on Thursday and advance to the next stage of the Africa Cup of Nations with their second successive Group A victory.
Captain Vincent Aboubakar and Karl Toko-Ekambi both scored twice as Cameroon turned in a strong second-half performance and advanced to six points after also winning their opening game against Burkina Faso.
The Africa Cup of Nations has been the gift that keeps giving in terms of content.
Coming off a disappointing 2021 season in which Minnesota United clearly took a step backward, there wasn't much joy to be found among Loons fans at the start of the offseason.
LIMBE, Cameroon — Mali completed a 1-0 victory over Tunisia in a controversial Group F game at the Africa Cup of Nations that was ended prematurely by referee Janny Sikazwe, who later tried to play the final four minutes only for the north Africans to refuse.
Zambian Sikazwe, who officiated at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, initially blew for the final whistle on 85 minutes as he got his timekeeping all wrong.
But after playing on, he then repeated the error when he blew for fulltime once more before the clock had ticked over to the 90 minutes.
It’s frustrating when you see countless European coaches, fans and media outlets focusing more on what the Africa Cup of Nations costs than the joy it brings. Yes, some European clubs are without some top players for a little while, but no one complains participation in the Euros or Copa América. For proof of what AFCON means to the continent, look no further than the tears of Mohamed Kamara, the young Sierra Leone keeper who was named Man of the Match after an unlikely 0-0 draw with Algeria on Tuesday.
The reigning Africa Cup of Nations champion Algeria began its title defense Tuesday with a match against Sierra Leone in Douala, meaning it was also time to get a first glimpse of three-time Premier League winner and 2016 African Footballer of the Year Riyad Mahrez.
YAOUNDE — Aaron Boupendza’s strike from a narrow angle sealed a dull 1-0 win for Gabon over Africa Cup of Nations debutants Comoros Islands in their opening Group C clash on Monday.
Gabon, which was missing talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and influential midfielder Mario Lemina due to COVID-19 infections, never looked troubled and scored from one of only a few shots on target at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo.
Ah, the glory of international tournaments. Instead of a crushing start to the week, Monday gave us the simple pleasure of coffee and watching Senegal — one of the clear favorites in Cameroon — begin its Africa Cup of Nations campaign against underdog Zimbabwe.
The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations began Sunday with the host nation Cameroon welcoming Burkina Faso to Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé, which will also be the site of the final on Feb. 6.
DOUALA - Largely empty stadiums could become a feature of this month's Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off on Sunday, due mainly to Cameroon's paltry COVID-19 vaccination rate.
The host nation last month made full vaccination and a negative coronavirus test compulsory for spectators at Africa's premier soccer tournament.
With skepticism about the vaccines' safety and importance widespread, the country's inoculation levels are extremely low — though the lure of live soccer has convinced some fans to set their misgivings aside.