Sports

AFCON QF wrap: Burkina Faso stun Tunisia as Cameroon also book last-four spot

Published

3 years ago

January 30, 2022

Burkina Faso and Cameroon have become the first two teams to reach the semi-finals of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations..

Hosts Cameroon swept aside Gambia 2-0 on Saturday to remain one of the favourites to win the tournament, while 10-man Burkina Faso stunned Tunisia in a shock result.

Dango Ouattara scored the only goal of the game for the Stallions and was later sent off before his teammates held on to record an upset.

Ouattara, who plays his club football for Ligue 1 side Lorient, put Burkina Faso ahead in first-half stoppage-time after a swift breakaway down the right.

Tunisia, who beat giants Nigeria in the last 16, regrouped for the second half and were left furious with referee Joshua Bondo’s decision not to award them a penalty for a foul on former Sunderland flop Wahbi Khazri.

Gambia were competing in the tournament for the first time, beating Mauritania and Tunisia in the group stage to reach the knockout stages.

They then knocked out Guinea in the last 16 but, in front of a passionate home crowd at Japoma Stadium in Douala, Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet’s team only managed two attempts at goal in the entire 90 minutes.

Cameroon were dominant from the off as Fai fired into the side-netting from 25 yards before Vincent Aboubakar – the tournament’s leading goalscorer with six – flicked an audacious back-heel effort over the crossbar from six yards out and glanced a header just wide.

Aboubakar was then denied from another close-range header as opposition goalkeeper Baboucarr Gaye produced an excellent save.

However, Gambia’s stubborn resistance was broken early in the second half, as Toko Ekambi rose above defender James Gomez to head Cameroon into the lead with his fourth goal of the tournament.

His fifth came shortly afterwards, getting on the end of Hongla’s inviting cross.

Antonio Conceicao side’s should have had a third goal late on when goalkeeper Andre Onana picked out Clinton N’Jie with a long pin-point pass, but his attempted lob was saved and then Aboubakar sent the follow-up wide.

Cameroon will play either Egypt or Morocco in the semi-final on Thursday, with the final taking place on Sunday, February 6..