Holders Cameroon knocked out by Nigeria in 5-goal thriller

Nigeria came back from a 2-1 first half to beat defending champions Cameroon 3-2 in the third Round of 16 game at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Alexandria, Egypt. Two goals from Odion Ighalo and one from Alex Iwobi – his first ever Nations Cup goal – were enough to drown goals from Stephane Bahoken and Clinton Njie. The win takes Nigeria to the quarter-final stage, where they will play the winner of the Egypt-South Africa tie. It was a match well-attended by some of the continent’s known legends of the game. Among these were Cameroonian legend and Cup of Nations’ winner Samuel Eto Fils and Nwanko Kanu. It was a cagey start for the two neighbouring nations until the 19th minute when the three-time champions took advantage of a set piece to break the deadlock, through Ighalo. The Super Eagles appeared to be in the driving seat, though the champions shaded possession, until four minutes to the break when a searching cross from 2017 Most Valuable Player Christian Bassogog found Bahoken. Within three minutes, the Lions had scored a second to lead the Eagles. It was Olympique Marseille winger Njie who shrugged off Kenneth Omeruo’s challenge in the box to give his side the lead. The Eagles appeared to be on the back foot until the 63rd minute when Ighalo beat the offside trap to slot home a well-chested ball from captain Ahmed Musa to draw level. After just three minutes, Arsenal midfielder Iwobi picked his spot in the penalty area from an Ighalo assist to get his first goal at the tournament. That put the Nigerians ahead and it stayed same till the end despite Cameroon coach Clarence Seedorf bringing on all his strikers. Nigeria’s quarter-final encounter will be played on Wednesday. By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh |editors.3news.com|Ghana