SUBSTITUTE MOHAMADOU Idrissou scored a late goal to earn Cameroon a 3-2 victory over Zambia yesterday and their first points of the Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Idrissou powered home a header from Geremi’s cross in the 86th minute to complete a second-half comeback from World Cup-bound Cameroon, who conceded an early goal and faced an embarrassing early exit from the tournament.
Cameroon, the 2008 runners-up, lost their opening match to Gabon and had they suffered a second successive defeat would have been the first side eliminated from the 16-team tournament.
Record-breaking defender Rigobert Song – the 33-year-old former Liverpool and West Ham United player has played more Nations Cups than any other player – figured in two defensive slip-ups which allowed Zambia to score but Cameroon’s power and strength pulled them through.
Jacob Mulenga took advantage of Song’s botched attempted clearance to give Zambia an eighth-minute lead.
Cameroon made two half-time changes to launch their fightback but their equaliser came after a horrendous goalkeeping error from Kennedy Mweene who allowed Geremi’s cross to slip under his body and into the net in the 68th minute.
Four minutes later, Samuel Eto’o extended his Nations Cup scoring record to 17 goals with a typically opportunist effort after an attempted clearance ricocheted off him and he was quickest to snap up the loose ball.
Zambia were awarded a penalty 10 minutes from time when goalkeeper Carlos Idriss Kameni brought down Mulenga, who had outstripped Song for pace.
Chris Katongo converted the kick but parity lasted for all of five minutes before Idrissou rose above the Zambia defence to head home another probing cross from veteran full back Geremi.
Cameroon moved up to second place in the group behind Gabon, who have four points after drawing 0-0 with Tunisia yesterday.
Tunisia are on two points and Zambia one but all four teams are still in the race for the quarter-finals, which will be decided on Thursday.
Egypt continued their quest for an unprecedented third straight title when they reached the quarter-finals on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Mozambique as Nigeria revived their hopes of progressing.
The win left six-time champions Egypt top of Group C with six points from two games as second-placed Nigeria looked set to join them into the last eight after scraping past Benin 1-0.
Egypt, now unbeaten in a record 15 matches at the Nations Cup, went ahead in the 46th minute with a Dario Khan own goal.
Mohamed Nagui made sure of the points when he scored with 10 minutes left as Egypt joined Ivory Coast in the quarter-finals of the biennial African football extravaganza.
Meanwhile, Ghana captain Michael Essien was taken to hospital in Luanda yesterday after suffering a suspected knee injury in training at the finals, officials said in a statement.
The Chelsea midfielder, who has played just 45 minutes at the tournament in Angola, is doubtful for tomorrow’s key Group B match against Burkina Faso in Luanda.
Essien arrived almost a week after his team at the event, after being given time to recover from a hamstring injury at his London club.
His arrival was also held up by flight cancellations because of bad weather in Europe.
Coach Milan Rajevac told reporters he was unsure of the extent of the new injury and would await a doctor’s report.
Ghana must win their match against Burkina Faso to qualify for the quarter-finals.
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