Cameroun are African champs

Cameroun’s Indomitable Lions returned to the pinnacle of continental football when they were crowned African champions for the fifth time after defeating seven-time champions Egypt 2-1 in the final of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Libreville.

Vincent Aboubakar scored the championship winning goal in the 89th minute to complete a memorable come-from-behind victory that ensured the balance of power in African football shifted once again to the Central African country.

The Camerounians fought like wounded lions and scored two second half goals, after Egypt took the lead in the 22nd minute and almost locked up their defence and denied their opponents from finding the net, in part due to a lack of marksmanship by relatively inexperienced Cameroun attackers.

The Egyptians directed their attacks from the right where the Lions looked most vulnerable until Hector Cuper’s side broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute through Mohamed el Neny, who latched onto a pass by Mohammed Salah and moved deep into the Cameroun penalty box before firing a right shot into the roof of the net past goalkeeper Joseph Ondoa

But the Lions came back strongly in the second half and kept their foot on the accelerator, with Aboubakar emerging as the super substitute whose late strike endured a hard-fought victory which ended Cameroun’s 15-year wait for another continental title, as well as a fitting revenge after the Pharoahs denied them glory in the final of the 2008 AFCON in Ghana.

The Indomitable Lions never gave up the fight and kept pushing their men into attack until they were rewarded with a deserving equaliser on the hour mark through substitute Nicolas Nkoulou  and ultimately, the winner from  Aboubakar ‘s strike after sprinting with the ball past two Egyptian markers and right-footed the ball past El Hadary for the championship winning goal.

The Besiktas forward, who replaced Ndip Tambe in the second half, saving his best goal for last before a packed crowd, including FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the Camerounian head of African football Issa Hayatou and Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba, handed Cameroun captain Benjamin Moukandjo the African Cup that sparked of a party amid fireworks display at the Stade d’Lamitie as the Lions roared back as kings of African football.