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Cameroon advanced at the Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday, with striker Karl Toko Ekambi scoring twice as the hosts beat Gambia 2-0 to advance to the semi-finals.
Burkina Faso joined Cameroon in a surprise 1-0 win over Tunisia in their last four matches. Teenage striker Dango Ouattara scored Burkina Faso’s first-half injury-time goal and was sent off in the 82nd minute for an elbow on Tunisian defender Ali Marul. Give his team the lead in the final 10 minutes.
The Burkina Faso team had to try to focus on football this week as news of a coup in their homeland was distracting. The players erupted into joyous celebrations at the final whistle in Garoua. They swept up coach Camu Marlowe, hugged him, danced and chanted as he tried to give a TV interview after the game.
Toko Ekambi scored his goal within seven minutes of the second half for Cameroon at the Jaboma Stadium in Douala, tightening security after the squeeze that killed eight fans in the home team’s final game.
The incident at the Orembe Stadium in Yaounde on Monday was the subject of an investigation, which could be demolished as hosts of the Africa Cup of Nations final on February 6.
AFCON 2021: Comoros’ dream trip sees it all in the Cup of Nations
Cameroon is still on track to reach the final after beating the Gambia – no matter where it takes place – Gambia is taking part in the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time and has caused a huge surprise as it reaches the quarter-finals.
Toko Ekambi headed in from a cross in the 50th minute and side-footed into the top of the net from another cross in the 57th minute to see the unrelenting Lions come in after the tournament’s first quarter-final the final four. France-born Toko Ekambi now has five goals in the game, one behind Cameroon captain Vincent Abubakar.
Cameroon will win the quarter-final against Egypt against Morocco on Sunday.
Cameroonian authorities said they had deployed an additional 250 police officers at the Japoma stadium for Cameroon’s quarter-finals, while security officials in yellow vests formed a line between the crowd and the pitch during the game.
The added security was also due to the intrusion of fans during a match at Jaboma Stadium earlier in the match between Algeria and Ivory Coast.
Cameroon blames ‘massive’ influx of fans for stadium deaths
The Cameroonian government has blamed the stampede in the last 16 games between Cameroon and the Comoros on an influx of unticketed fans who forced their way into the stadium to avoid security checks and COVID-19 screening. Fans must prove a negative coronavirus test and be vaccinated to play in the Africa Cup of Nations.
But witnesses said the tragedy was partly blamed on safety failures and 38 people were injured, seven of them seriously.
Either way, the stampede was aware of pre-match concerns about Cameroon’s preparations, especially the preparation of its stadiums. The Central African country was originally going to host the African Football Championship in 2019, but that year’s edition was cancelled as its stadium was far behind schedule.
The CFA insists Cameroon is ready to host the match, but is now asking local organisers to provide a report on what caused the stadium squeeze and who was responsible. Based on the findings, CAF moved the Egypt-Morocco quarter-finals to another stadium in Yaounde and could also strip the Olembe Stadium for the semi-finals and finals involving Cameroon.
While Burkina Faso’s win over Tunisia over Nigeria was a surprise, it did reach the final in a breakout tournament in 2013 and finished third in 2017.
Outtara, a 19-year-old striker who signed his first professional contract last year, blocked two Tunisian defenders after a run on the right wing and shot past them for goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said.
Burkina Faso will next face Senegal or Equatorial Guinea. They will play another quarterfinal on Sunday.
Senegal says Liverpool striker Sadio Mane will be available for that game after recovering from a head injury in Tuesday’s last-16 win over Cape Verde, which led to him being taken to hospital for tests.
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