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Tag: AFCON

  • AFCON: My players are motivated to win, Cameroon coach says

    AFCON: My players are motivated to win, Cameroon coach says

    Cameroon coach, Antonio Conceiçao says his players are highly motivated ahead of their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semifinals match against the Pharaohs of Egypt.

    Host Cameroon will be seeking a place in the 2021 AFCON final when they lock horns with Egypt at the Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé on Thursday.

    Conceiçao speaking at a pre-match press conference in Yaounde said his players were motivated to win the Egyptians, adding that the overall objective was to win the title.

    “Our goal is clear; to play a good game and go to the final.

    “We will play against a very good team, Egypt, the most successful team in Africa.

    “They have very good players, including one of the best in the world, namely Mohamed Salah.

    “My players are motivated to win. We have positive pressure, but our pbjective is clear, to win the title for the Cameroonian people,” he said.

    Cameroonian Midfielder Andre Anguissa stressed that he and his team mates were motivated to play a good match against Egypt.

    “We are determined to achieve a good result, go to the final and win the title.

    “Playing at home is very special for us. We are committed to play this semi-final and go for the title next Sunday, for the Cameroonian people.

    NAN also reports that the hosts’ intentions have been clear from Day one; that they are on a mission to win the title at home.

    Four wins and a draw in the road to the semifinal give the Indomitable Lions a vast amount of confidence before facing rivals Egypt for a ticket in Sunday’s final.

    They know well they will have the support of thousands as they dream of a sixth AFCON trophy.

    Cameroon will once again rely on the lethal attacking duo of Vincent Abubakar and Karl Toko Ekambi, who has scored all Cameroon 11 goals to the moment, six for Abubakar and one less for Ekambi.

  • Senegal qualify for second consecutive AFCON final

    Senegal qualify for second consecutive AFCON final

    Senegal reached a second consecutive Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final on Wednesday after goals from Abdou Diallo, Idrissa Gueye and Sadio Mane secured a 3-1 win over Burkina Faso.

    Aliou Cisse’s side were denied a first AFCON title by Algeria back in 2019, but they will now have another chance against either Cameroon or Egypt on Sunday.

    Senegal thought they had been awarded a penalty kick deep into first-half stoppage time, but the VAR came to Burkina Faso’s rescue.

    Referee Tessema Weyesa overturned his initial decision after replays showed Gueye’s shot had hit Edmond Tapsoba’s stomach and not his hand.

    The Lions of Teranga deservedly broke the deadlock in the 70th minute, however.

    That was when Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defender Diallo spun in the goal area to fire a crisp strike past substitute goalkeeper Sofiane Ouedraogo.

    And Senegal doubled their advantage six minutes later when Gueye slotted home from inside the penalty area after being teed up by Mane.

    Ibrahim Toure pulled one back for Burkina Faso with an improvised finish with his knee in the 82nd minute.

    Mane put the game to bed five minutes later with a sublime breakaway goal.

  • CAF moves 2021 AFCON’s third-place match

    CAF moves 2021 AFCON’s third-place match

    The CAF Organising Committee for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Wednesday said the competition’s third-place match will now be played a day earlier.

    The committee, in a statement at Douala in Cameroon said the development came after discussions with the Government of Cameroon and the competition’s Local Organising Committee (LOC).

    “We decided to move the third and fourth place match, originally scheduled for Sunday Feb. 6 to Saturday Feb. 5,” it said.

    The match, which is to be played at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde, will however still kick off at 2000 hours as earlier scheduled.

    The committee however did not state any reason for bringing the match forward.

    The final match will still hold as scheduled on Sunday, the final day of the Jan. 9 to Feb. 6 competition

  • AFCON: God told me to end Tunisia, Mali match early – Referee, Sikazwe

    AFCON: God told me to end Tunisia, Mali match early – Referee, Sikazwe

    Janny Sikazwe, the referee who blew for full-time early in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations clash between Tunisia and Mali, has claimed he could have died of heatstroke if the match went on any longer.

    The Zambian official sparked controversy when he ended the group-stage fixture 13 seconds early on January 12.

    Sikazwe had been forced to restart the match after blowing his full-time whistle five minutes before the full 90 minutes was up.

    Tunisia were losing 1-0 and playing against 10 men when Sikazwe ended the match early for a second time. It left members of their coaching staff furious and they stormed onto the pitch to confront the referee.

    However, Sikazwe has now thanked God for saving him from death.

    “I have seen people going for duties outside the country and come back in a casket,” he told reporters after arriving back in Zambia.

    “I was very close to coming back like that.

    “I was lucky I didn’t go into a coma. It would have been a very different story.

    “The doctors told me my body was not cooling down. It would have been just a little time before [I would have gone] into a coma, and that would have been the end.

    “I think God told me to end the match. He saved me.”

  • AFCON: Senegal rides over Equatorial Guinea into semi final

    AFCON: Senegal rides over Equatorial Guinea into semi final

    Senegal on Sunday rode over Equatorial Guinea into the semi final at the AFCON round leather game tournament beating the West African country 3-1.

    The star studded Senegal were considered favourites in this year’s edition and also for this game. Their group stage journey was pretty much mediocre compared to the expectations of fans across Africa especially as their lack of goalscoring turned into an issue for many.

    The game was aggressive from the start as both teams were compact and avoided any costly mistakes. Senegal were more on the front foot compared to their opponents and they were rewarded in the 28th minute when Famara Diedhiou finished brilliantly into the bottom corner after receiving a pass from Sadio Mane.

    The game was aggressive from the start as both teams were compact and avoided any costly mistakes. Senegal were more on the front foot compared to their opponents and they were rewarded in the 28th minute when Famara Diedhiou finished brilliantly into the bottom corner after receiving a pass from Sadio Mane.

    The teams went into the break with Senegal 1-0 up. Equatorial Guinea did not lie down and they were much ambitious in the second half, piling the pressure on Senegal. A controversial moment in the 51st minute saw Senegal escape a penalty decision, as VAR overturned a spot kick that was initially awarded to Equatorial Guinea by the referee.

    That decision did not hinder their intentions, as Equatorial Guinea equalised through Jannick Buyla just 6 minutes after the penalty incident. Cheikhou Kouyate needed only three minutes after his introduction to repay his manager’s faith in him as he scored a header to make it 2-1. Ismaila Sarr got the final nail on the coffin putting his team 3-1 ahead.

  • BREAKING: Egypt beat Morocco to setup 2021 AFCON semi final tie against Cameroon

    BREAKING: Egypt beat Morocco to setup 2021 AFCON semi final tie against Cameroon

    Egypt on Sunday beat Morocco to reach the semi finals of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the win means Egypt will now battle it out with host Cameroon for a slot at the final.

    Egypt beat Morocco by 2 goals to 1 in the Sunday’s encounter with a goal and assist by Liverpool forward, Mohamed Salah.

    Salah scored one goal and set up the other as Egypt beat Morocco in extra time in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals.

    Sofiane Boufal had given Morocco an early lead with a penalty after Ayman Ashraf caught Achraf Hakimi, a decision given by the video assistant referee.

    But Salah tapped in an equaliser after Yassine Bounou parried a header and the game went to extra time.

    At extra time, Salah squared for Aston Villa’s Trezeguet to tap in the winner.

    Carlos Queiroz’s side will face hosts Cameroon in Thursday’s semi-final.

  • AFCON: Burkina Faso sends Tunisia packing

    AFCON: Burkina Faso sends Tunisia packing

    Lowly rated Burkina Faso has sent Tunisia back home after piping the north Africans 1-0 at the stroke of halftime on Saturday.

    Tunisia and Gambia have been dispensed with from the continuous Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

    The two of them lost their quarter-final conflicts against Burkina Faso and hosts Cameroon on Sunday.

    The Indomitable Lions required two second-half goals from Karl Toko Ekambi to see off their lowly-ranked opponents.

    Cameroon will presently meet the winner of the quarter-final among Egypt and Morocco.

    In the mean time, teenager Dango Ouattara scored on the stroke of halftime to get a 1-0 win for Burkina Faso over Tunisia.

    It is the third time in the last five editions of the continental championship that Burkina Faso must the semi-finals. They will confront the winners of Sunday’s quarter-final among Senegal and Equatorial Guinea.

  • AFCON 2021: Watford attacker Sarr joins Senegal squad

    AFCON 2021: Watford attacker Sarr joins Senegal squad

    Watford have confirmed Ismaila Sarr has joined up with Senegal squad in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

    Sarr will join the team ahead of quarter-final tie against Equatorial Guinea.

    Sarr has been out of action since suffering a knee injury in a Premier League fixture on November 20.

    The 23-year-old’s fitness ahead of the tournament in Cameroon had been the subject of a club-versus-country row.

    After discussions, it was mutually agreed that Sarr would travel to Barcelona for treatment.

    After making good progress, the player has linked up with his country this week.

  • Host Cameroon beat Gambia to reach AFCON semi-finals

    Host Cameroon beat Gambia to reach AFCON semi-finals

    Karl Toko Ekambi scored two second-half goals as hosts Cameroon beat The Gambia to move into the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations.

    Toko Ekambi headed his country ahead in the 50th minute, glancing in from Collins Fai’s right-wing cross.

    It became 2-0 seven minutes later with Toko Ekambi finishing at the back post following Martin Hongla’s low delivery.

    Cameroon will play either Egypt or Morocco in the semi-final on Thursday, with the final next Sunday.

  • AFCON: Gambia, Cameroon’s coaches trade words ahead of quarter-final clash

    AFCON: Gambia, Cameroon’s coaches trade words ahead of quarter-final clash

    Antonio Conceiçao, Coach of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, says the objective of his team is to secure a win against Gambia in their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) clash on Saturday.

    Conceiçao, speaking at a pre-match press conference on Friday in Douala ahead of their quarter-final match against The Gambia, said this was in spite of a lot of respect his side had for their opponents.

    The hosts and five-time champions, Cameroon, will be looking to end debutants, The Gambia’s fairy tale run, when they clash at the Japoma Stadium in Douala on Saturday.

    “We have managed a positive course, a satisfactory record so far. Against Gambia, the objective is to win. We are a playful team that likes to take the game on its own.

    “Against us, there will be a team that defends well and have five to six high quality attacking players. So, Everything is possible even if we only consider victory,” he said.

    Cameroon defender Jean Castelleto noted that even though they were up against a good team, he and his teammates were confident of victory against The Gambia.

    “I am very happy to take part in this competition, everything is going very well, we have had a good run so far and against Gambia, the objective remains victory.

    “We will play against a good team. In Douala, we have good memories. The reception is fantastic and we expect to have a popular fervor behind the team,” he said.

    Three wins and a draw for hosts Cameroon guided them to the quarterfinals, where they faced another debutant after going through fellow newcomers Comoros in the Round of 16.

    Captain Vincent Abubakar led by example to the moment, scoring six goals in four games, to become the first player since 1998 to reach this milestone in AFCON finals.

    Now he is looking for even more while aiming with The Indomitable Lions for one more step towards the ultimate.

    A sixth AFCON title is the dream of everyone in Cameroon, and coach Conceicao knows well an uneasy game against Gambia is another hurdle to pass to achieve that dream.

    Meanwhile, Tom Saintfiet, Coach of Gambia, says his team is used to being referred to as ‘underdogs’ ahead of every game they have played in the AFCON in Cameroon.

    Saintfiet speaking at a pre-match press conference on Friday in Douala ahead of their quarter-final match against Cameroon, said the hosts are the big favourites, adding, however, that his team would not be intimidated.

    The debutants Gambia face hosts Cameroon in an unprecedented quarterfinal that promises a lot of excitement on Saturday at the Japoma Stadium in Douala from 4 p. m.

    “Cameroon, one of the greatest nations in African and even world football, is the big favorite. I give my team a 20 per cent chance, the Gambian coach said.

    “But we are used to it and since I took office, it has always been the case. We had to fight against stronger teams than us and we managed to get by.

    “Against Cameroon, we will not be afraid, we will play to the fullest. It’s a bonus match. We visited Limbé, Bafoussam and now Douala, and we want to continue to Yaoundé,” he said.

    Gambian Midfielder and hitman Ablie Jallow expressed confidence in the ability of the Scorpions to win the match, adding that they would approach the game with a firm belief of going through to the semis.

    “It will be a tough match, but we are well prepared to go for the win. As in previous games, we will put all the assets on our side to pass.

    “Cameroon will be accompanied by its fans; they are the ones under pressure. We will play our game with the firm intention of going through,” he said.

    The hosts and five-time champions, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, may seem like favourites, but they have to face an emerging force in continental football, The Gambia.

    The Gambia made it all the way through the qualifiers, starting from the preliminary round, passing a group that had DR Congo, Angola and Gabon.

    Then to the finals, where they have drawn with Mali and beaten Mauritania, Tunisia and Guinea to reach the final eight.

    Despite feeling the AFCON for the very first time, the Scorpions have shown that Cameroonians cannot even imagine taking them lightly.

    Led by Belgian Saintfiet, Gambia will look once more to the lethal striking force of Jallow and Moussa Barrow who netted twice each in earlier matches.