Yaounde, Feb 6 (BNA): Cameroon produced an epic battle from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 before winning the third-place play-off against Burkina Faso 5-3 on penalties at the African Cup of Nations on Thursday. Saturday.
It won’t erase the host team’s disappointment in missing out on the final, but it does mean that Cameroon at least ended their tournament with a win, the Associated Press reported.
This result seemed far-fetched when Burkina Faso advanced 3-0 in the 49th minute with a header from Djibril Ouattara.
Vincent Aboubacar, the tournament’s top scorer, came on as a substitute in the second half to turn things around in Cameroon’s favour.
Stephane Bahuken reduced Cameroon’s first goal and Aboubacar scored in the 85th and 87th minutes with the help of two errors from Burkina Faso goalkeeper Fred Ouedraogo to send the match to a penalty shootout.
Platé Toure was the only loser in the penalty shootout, when Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana saved down with his left hand to make up for his own blunder and own goal in regular time.
Toure’s wasting allowed Ambroise Oyongo to take the lead in penalty shootouts for Cameroon and ease the pain of losing the penalty shootout to Egypt in the semi-finals, when three of the top four Cameroonians missed out on penalties.
There was an avalanche of relief from the host team and the fans, and Cameroon coach Tony Conceicao ended up laughing and celebrating the players when it looked like it was going to be a bleak end to the tournament for his team.
Burkina Faso took the lead from the 24th minute of an action-packed match at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium through Steve Iago, who reached the back post to meet a cross.
Onana’s poor mistake before the end of the first half gave Burkina Faso their second goal when a cross passed the goalkeeper’s hands, hit his chest and rebounded into the net.
Onana almost got away with it when the match officials decided the ball was out of play before Issa Kabore slipped and shot across goal. Moroccan referee Radwan Gaid checked with VAR and rightly changed the decision and awarded the goal, and Onana had nowhere to hide.
Unhappy fans were clamoring for Cameroon to make substitutions at that point.
Conceicao responded by bringing in front-line strikers Abubakar and Karl Toko Ekambi early in the second half after starting with them on the bench.
Between those substitutions, Burkina Faso made it 3-0 through Ouattara, who was left unmarked at all to avoid a header in Onana’s goal.
Bahuken started the comeback in the 71st minute.
Aboubacar gave Cameroon real hope when he hit a corner kick five minutes before normal time.
Ouédraogo had just saved twice well but called off the action by dashing away from his corner line and stranded, leaving his nets empty for Abubakar.
Ouédraogo came out again two minutes later to collect a long ball and hit the air with a defender, dropping the ball at Aboubakar’s feet and allowing the Cameroon captain to score his eighth goal of the tournament.
Ouedraogo came out of the injured spot, leaving Aboubacar Sawadogo, Burkina Faso’s third goalkeeper, to face the penalty shootout.
There was little he could do to stop the momentum that was with Cameroon.
Egypt and Senegal will play in the African Cup final on Sunday, where Mohamed Salah and his Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane will find themselves in opposing teams as they chase their first major title with their country.