Defeated by Mauritania (1-0) during the third day, Tuesday, the Fennecs will not see the round of 16. Unlike Cameroon, who qualified by beating Gambia on the wire.
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The last day of the African Cup of Nations group stage continued on Tuesday January 23, and the competition continues to offer twists and turns at the end of matches. After the qualification of Egypt, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria on Monday, Cameroon recovered its ticket for the eighth at the end by taking on Gambia at the end of an exhilarating match (3-2). Beaten by Mauritania (1-0), Algeria will not follow the same path and is officially eliminated.
Cameroon snatches qualification in an incredible end to the match
With only one small point in two matches, after a draw against Guinea (1-1) and a defeat against Senegal (3-1), Cameroon had no other choice but to win to hope to extend its journey . Against Gambia, at the Stade de la Paix (Bouaké), the Indomitable Lions went through all kinds of emotions. That of the qualified first, with this first goal from the head of Karl Toko-Ekambi (56th). That of the eliminated, then, with the equalizer of Ablie Jallow alone at the far post (72nd). Trailing two goals to one in the 85th minute after Ebrima Colley’s goal, Rigobert Song’s men first found hope thanks to an own goal from James Gomez (87th) before finding the fault and the path to qualification through a powerful header from Christopher Wooh (90th+1). Because this CAN is written under the sign of dramatic events, Muhammed Sanneh, for a short moment, offered the craziest reversal by equalizing for Gambia (90th + 4). Before his goal, scored with his hand, was logically canceled.
In the second meeting of Group C, where two qualified teams faced each other, Senegal wanted to achieve a flawless performance against Guinea. A successful bet: a first goal from Abdoulaye Seck (62nd), followed by a break from Marseillais Iliman Ndiaye (90+1), consolidated the first place of the Lions of Teranga. Senegal, Cameroon and Guinea are in the round of 16.
Algeria will not see the eighth, feat of Mauritania
The scenario is ultimately not that different: same venue, same position in the ranking, same crying need for victory to dream of qualification. Like Cameroon a few hours earlier, Algeria had no room for error, after two draws against Angola (1-1) and Burkina Faso (2-2). Their evening opponent, Mauritania, defeated in all their matches, could still qualify among the best thirds in the event of victory. A goal from Mohamed Dellahi Yali, from a shot from the right, extinguished the Algerian hopes a little after the half hour of play. Despite a more intense last quarter of an hour, and a final equalizing ball which came close to post (90+6), Algeria did not manage to change the score. As in the last edition, here she is eliminated before the final stages, with only two points on the clock and last place in her group. Mauritania holds its feat, its first victory in history in the African Cup of Nations, and its first qualification in the round of 16 of the competition while the selection participates in the second CAN in its history.
Winner of Burkina Faso (2-0) thanks to goals from Mabululu (36th) and Zini (90th+3), Angola took first place in group D. Behind, Burkina Faso and Mauritania are also qualified.