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Cameroon ended a seven-match winless run against South Africa with a deserved 2-1 victory to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
South Africa started brightly and looked the sharper side in the opening stages, taking advantage of uncertainty in the Cameroon defence. Relebohile Mofokeng had the first clear chance of the match after capitalising on a defensive error, but the winger fired over the bar when through on goal.
Moments later, Lyle Foster thought he had given Bafana Bafana the lead with a well-taken angled finish. However, the assistant referee raised his flag, and a VAR review confirmed the striker was offside when the pass was played.
Cameroon struggled to assert themselves in attack for much of the first half, but they made the most of their chances. In the 34th minute, South Africa failed to clear a corner, and after a deflected shot from the edge of the area, Junior Tchamadeu reacted quickest to curl the ball home from close range for his first international goal.
The Indomitable Lions carried that momentum into the second half and doubled their lead just two minutes after the restart. Aboubakar Nagida sent in an accurate cross from the left, which Christian Kofane headed in expertly from a tight angle.
South Africa responded with attacking changes and applied sustained pressure, but Cameroon goalkeeper Devis Epassy produced a series of fine saves to protect his side’s lead. He denied Samukele Kabini from close range and then tipped Teboho Mokoena’s free kick around the post.
Bafana Bafana continued to push and finally pulled a goal back in the 88th minute when Evidence Makgopa struck from close range, setting up a tense finish.
However, Cameroon held firm through five minutes of stoppage time to seal their place in the quarter-finals, edging another closely fought AFCON contest.
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