Oyongo strikes late as Cameroon draw with Mali

MALABO (Reuters) - Cameroon salvaged a 1-1 draw against Mali in their African Nations Cup opener on Tuesday thanks to Ambroise Oyongo's late equaliser in Malabo.

Oyongo strikes late as Cameroon draw with Mali

(Reuters)





Oyongo netted six minutes from time to cancel out Sambou Yatabare's second-half opener to leave all four sides in Group D level after Ivory Coast and Guinea drew 1-1 earlier on Tuesday.

"We got this result with our guts. We were tough mentally. Both teams had their moments," Cameroon defender Nicolas Nkoulou told Canal Plus.

"It's a tough group so we will be content with this result."

Mali made a good start with Bakary Sako's cross shot tipped away by Fabrice Ondoa in the 10th minute at the Nuevo Estadio.

Cameroon suffered an early setback when midfielder Eyong Enoh was injured and replaced by Franck Kom after 17 minutes.

Mali went close again in the 35th minute but Ondoa blocked Mustapha Yatabare's header.

Yatabare looked lively in the first half but found it hard to unsettle a solid Cameroon central defence well marshalled by Aurelien Chedjou and Nkoulou.

It was his brother who broke the deadlock in the 71st minute, firing a half-volley at the far post past Ondea.

Mali could not hold on though and six minutes from time Oyongo controlled Raoul Loe's cross and slotted the ball past Soumbeyla Diakite to give his team a barely-deserved point.

Even then Mali thought they had snatched a late winner but Sambou Yatabare's header was ruled out offside in the 90th minute.





(Writing by Julien Pretot; Editing by Martyn Herman)


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world