Cameroon cruised past Ethiopia as they became the first team to secure a knockout stage qualification.
Cameroon defeated Ethiopia 4-1 in their Africa Cup of Nations game on Thursday. The Lions came back from behind to march toward the knockout stage while Ethiopia suffered back-to-back defeats.
Another Cameroon comeback!
Cameroon came into the game after a 2-1 win over Burkina Faso in the tournament’s opening game. Just like that game, the Lions did could not make a great start against Ethiopia.
The guests stunned Cameroon with an early goal from Dawa Hotessa Dukele in the fourth minute. However, the Lions were quick in their response.
Only four minutes later, Karl Toko Ekambi equalized the game with a header, converting a brilliant piece of buildup play. The hosts continued their attacks throughout the first half. However, they had no luck in getting past the guests’ solid backline.
Cameroon restarted their attacks as soon as the second period started, and they soon dominated the possession. Eight minutes after the interval, Vincent Aboubakar put Cameroon ahead by heading home a lovely cross from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting. The striker completed his second brace of the tournament only two minutes later to make it 3-1 for the hosts.
Ethiopia started to look more dangerous after conceding the third goal. They managed to create a few decent chances but were not clinical enough to convert them.
Cameroon reclaimed the possession after the hour-mark, pushing to extend their lead. The Lions managed to do so through Ekambi’s second goal of the night in the 68th minute.
The pace of the game dropped significantly after Cameroon’s fourth goal. Cameroon did not show enough enthusiasm to score more goals while Ethiopia remained incapable of converting their chances.
The victory sends Cameroon straight into the knock out stage while Ethiopia crash out of the tournament. On Monday, the hosts will face Cape Verde in their last Group A game while Ethiopia meet Burkina Faso.
Player Ratings
Cameroon: Onana (6); Castelleto (6), Ngadeu (6), Tolo (7); Fai (8), Anguissa (7), Hongla (7), Choupo-Moting (8), Ngamaleu (7); Ekambi (9), Aboubakar (9).
Bench: Siliki (7), Ganago (6), Oyongo (6), N’Jie (5), Bahoken (6).
Ethiopia: Shanko (6); Hamid (6), Tamene (6), Debebe (6), Yusef (5); Mohammed (5), Yohannes (5), Dagnachen (6); Gebremichael (7), Nasir (6), Hotessa (7).
Bench: Gugesa (5), Reshid (6), Solomon (5), Melayu (5), Kebede (6).
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