AFCON 2024: Late drama as Cameroon advances to last 16, Ghana goes out

Cameroon clinched its place in the knockout stage as runner-up in Group C because the five-time champion scored more goals than Guinea, which lost 2-0 to group winner Senegal in the other game.

Cameroon’s players celebrate after winning the AFCON 2024 match against Guinea. | Photo Credit: AFP

Christopher Wooh was the last player to score in an extraordinary period of stoppage time as Cameroon eventually defeated Gambia 3-2 to stave off an early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday.

Cameroon clinched its place in the knockout stage as runner-up in Group C because the five-time champion scored more goals than Guinea, which lost 2-0 to group winner Senegal in the other game.

Two minutes after Wooh’s goal, Gambia defender Muhammed Sanneh set off wild celebrations when he put the ball in the net but the goal was overturned after a VAR check showed he used his hand.

Gambia put itself in contention for the last 16 by coming from behind to take a 2-1 lead when Ebrima Colley scored with just five minutes of normal time remaining.

But an own goal two minutes later from James Gomez, who was trying to cut out a cross, drew Cameroon level, and Wooh scored what proved to be the Indomitable Lions’ winner with a header from a corner in the first minute of stoppage time.

“There are a lot of surprises this year, but we had confidence in ourselves,” said Georges-Kévin Nkoudou, who struck the crossbar in the first half for Cameroon. “You know that things can happen very quickly and that’s what happened. I’ve no more words, I don’t know what to say. It’s incredible.”

Both teams had to win to maintain any hope of progressing.

“We just won a final, a great match against a very, very good team who gave everything, who gave their all. Bravo to them, and congratulations to my teammates who believed in this victory despite everything,” Cameroon captain André-Frank Zambo Anguissa said.

Defending champion Senegal finished with a perfect nine points from three games, followed by Cameroon and Guinea on four, with Gambia finishing bottom of the group with none despite all the excitement the Scorpions had brought to the tournament.

Gambia coach Tom Saintfiet resigned after the game.

Cameroon counterpart Rigobert Song dropped Manchester United goalkeeper André Onana to the bench in favour of Onana’s cousin, Fabrice Ondoa. Onana missed Cameroon’s first game after playing for United the day before, then produced a shaky performance in its second.

Abdoulaye Seck’s 61st-minute goal and another in the last from Iliman Ndiaye were enough for Senegal to maintain its perfect start to its title defence with another commanding performance in Yamoussoukro.

Cameroon’s win also eliminated Ghana, which had been hoping to still somehow finish as one of the four best third-place finishers. That’s no longer possible for the Black Stars with just two points.

Ghana missed its chance Monday when it conceded two goals in stoppage time to draw with Mozambique 2-2.

Two-time champion Algeria faces a decisive game as it plays Mauritania later in Group D, where Angola and Burkina Faso have already advanced before their game to decide the top spot.