YAOUNDÉ: Hosts Cameroon are through to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations but only after laboring to a 2-1 win over a Comoros side who were forced to start an outfield player in goal and played most of the game with 10 men.
The Comoros started with left-back Chaker Alhadhur between the posts in Yaounde after two of their three goalkeepers were ruled out due to Covid-19 while the other was missing due to injury.
They then had captain Nadjim Abdou sent off after just seven minutes, and Karl Toko-Ekambi put Cameroon in front before skipper Vincent Aboubakar netted his sixth goal of the tournament.
Despite that it was a heroic performance from the Comoros, who kept the tie alive until the end thanks to Youssouf M’Changama’s stunning late free-kick.
The Indomitable Lions keep their dream of winning the Cup of Nations on home soil alive as they advance to a last-eight tie against Gambia on Saturday, yet this was the Comoros’ night, despite the outcome.
The tiny Indian Ocean island nation qualified for the last 16 in their first ever appearance at the Cup of Nations after finishing as one of the best third-placed teams in the group stage.
However, their dream turned to a nightmare as a total of 12 players and staff tested positive for Covid-19 two days before the tie, including goalkeepers Ali Ahamada and Moyadh Ousseini.
Their other goalkeeper, Salim Ben Boina, was injured but they had hoped Ahamada would be able to start after he tested negative on the day of the game.
The 30-year-old Ahamada flew from Garoua, where he had been isolating, to Yaounde on Monday afternoon in the hope of being able to play, only for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to decide otherwise as his positive result had come just two days earlier.
Alhadhur, a reserve left-back for French Ligue 2 side Ajaccio, wore the gloves, with tape used to mark out his number three on the back of his goalkeeper’s jersey.
It was a farcical scene, and the Comoros’ plight worsened when Abdou was shown a straight red card for a foul on Moumi Ngamaleu after the Ethiopian referee went to review images of his challenge.
Rather than give up, the Comoros kept going and they only fell behind in the 29th minute when Aboubakar teed up Toko-Ekambi to slot home.
The islanders, whose coach Amir Abdou was among those missing after testing positive, almost equalized shortly after as Ahmed Mogni forced Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana into a fine save.
Aboubakar had a second-half effort disallowed for offside before making it 2-0 with 20 minutes left, finishing excellently after being picked out by Martin Hongla.
Yet there was no collapse from the Comoros, who pulled one back courtesy of M’Changama’s piledriver from 35 meters and go out with their heads held high.
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Al-Sadd will take on table-toppers Al-Hilal over two legs in early March in the next round while Al-Ittihad, who finished fourth in the standings, face off against Al-Wahda from the United Arab Emirates.
Defending champions Al-Ahli, also from Saudi Arabia, will play Al-Duhail from Qatar with Tractor meeting UAE’s Shabab Al-Ahli.
“Today was a very difficult game,” said Al-Sadd goal scorer Rafa Mujica. “The first 20, 25 minutes were very bad for us. We conceded everything.
“But we only have to think about the next game. We are qualified. We will see in the next game.”
Mancini’s team needed to match or better the result recorded by Al-Gharafa but went two goals behind inside the opening 18 minutes when Houssem Aouar and Youssef En-Nesyri struck for the visitors.
A Pedro Miguel own goal in the 33rd minute compounded Al-Sadd’s problems although Mujica gave Al-Sadd a glimmer of hope seven minutes before the interval.
Stephan Keller restored Al-Ittihad’s three-goal cushion when he scored with a close range finish in the 63rd minute as the Saudi side notched up their second comfortable win in a row.
Al-Gharafa’s hopes were erased, however, when their Iranian visitors scored twice in the final 30 minutes to knock Pedro Martins’ team out of the competition.
Mehdi Hashemnejad netted after the Al-Gharafa defense failed to clear in the 61st minute and Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh’s deflected effort into the top corner put the result beyond doubt with nine minutes remaining.
AFCON hosts Cameroon labor to beat Comoros side deprived of goalkeeper
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AFCON hosts Cameroon labor to beat Comoros side deprived of goalkeeper
- Comoros had to play left-back Chaker Alhadhur between the posts in Yaounde
- To add to their woes, they had captain Nadjim Abdou sent off after just seven minutes
Mancini’s Al-Sadd advance in Asian Champions League despite defeat
- Al-Sadd will take on table-toppers Al-Hilal over two legs in early March in the next round
- “Today was a very difficult game,” said Al-Sadd goal scorer Rafa Mujica
DOHA: Roberto Mancini’s Al-Sadd suffered a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad in the Asian Champions League Elite in Doha on Tuesday but the Qatari club still scraped through to the last 16 of the continental championship.
A 2-0 loss for Al-Sadd’s compatriots Al-Gharafa against Iranian outfit Tractor FC meant Mancini’s side clung on to eighth place in the western league phase standings to claim a spot in the knockout rounds.
Al-Sadd will take on table-toppers Al-Hilal over two legs in early March in the next round while Al-Ittihad, who finished fourth in the standings, face off against Al-Wahda from the United Arab Emirates.
Defending champions Al-Ahli, also from Saudi Arabia, will play Al-Duhail from Qatar with Tractor meeting UAE’s Shabab Al-Ahli.
“Today was a very difficult game,” said Al-Sadd goal scorer Rafa Mujica. “The first 20, 25 minutes were very bad for us. We conceded everything.
“But we only have to think about the next game. We are qualified. We will see in the next game.”
Mancini’s team needed to match or better the result recorded by Al-Gharafa but went two goals behind inside the opening 18 minutes when Houssem Aouar and Youssef En-Nesyri struck for the visitors.
A Pedro Miguel own goal in the 33rd minute compounded Al-Sadd’s problems although Mujica gave Al-Sadd a glimmer of hope seven minutes before the interval.
Stephan Keller restored Al-Ittihad’s three-goal cushion when he scored with a close range finish in the 63rd minute as the Saudi side notched up their second comfortable win in a row.
Al-Gharafa’s hopes were erased, however, when their Iranian visitors scored twice in the final 30 minutes to knock Pedro Martins’ team out of the competition.
Mehdi Hashemnejad netted after the Al-Gharafa defense failed to clear in the 61st minute and Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh’s deflected effort into the top corner put the result beyond doubt with nine minutes remaining.
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