Brave 10-man Guinea Hold Cameroon In Another AFCON Surprise

Published

2 years ago

January 15, 2024

Guinea joined a growing list of surprise sides at the Africa Cup of Nations by drawing 1-1 against five-time champions Cameroon in Group C on Monday despite playing the second half with 10 men.

Mohamed Bayo gave Guinea the lead before captain Francois Kamano was sent off just before half-time. Frank Magri equalised early in the second half, but a winning goal eluded Cameroon.

The brave Guinean showing on day three followed a string of unexpected results on Sunday with Cape Verde defeating Ghana, Mozambique holding Egypt and Equatorial Guinea drawing with Nigeria.

Earlier on Monday, Lamine Camara scored twice as title-holders Senegal outplayed Gambia 3-0 with the losers also having a player sent off late in the first half.

Cameroon did not include Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana in the matchday 23 after he arrived in the Ivorian capital just a few hours before the kick-off.

Onana delayed his arrival so that he could play for United in a 2-2 Premier League draw against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Coach Rigobert Song chose Fabrice Ondoa as his starting goalkeeper with two other shot-stoppers, Devis Epassy and Simon Ngapandouetnbu, on the bench.

Cameroon, seeking a sixth title and second in four editions, were also missing star forward and leading 2022 Cup of Nations scorer Vincent Aboubakar, who was ruled out by a thigh injury.

Guinea suffered a huge pre-match blow when Serhou Guirassy, scorer of 17 goals for Stuttgart in the Bundesliga this season, was ruled out by a knee injury.

In the absence of Guirassy, Bayo was the attacking spearhead and he gave the Syli National (national elephants) a shock lead on 10 minutes.

His first goal attempt was parried by Ondoa, but Cameroon failed to clear the ball and when it came back to Bayo, he slammed it into the net.

Subsequently, Cameroon won plenty of possession but were unable to seriously trouble Guinea goalkeeper Ibrahima Kone.

In a Guinea counterattack, audacious Sekou Sylla came close to scoring with a long-range shot that had Ondoa frantically backtracking before it landed on the roof of the net.

Guinea suffered a huge blow in the first half of added time when Kamano was sent off after the Egyptian referee changed his initial yellow card to a red for a foul on Magri.

The match official altered his decision after going to the touchline VAR monitor and seeing Kamano stamp from behind on the heel of his opponent.

Cameroon applied pressure from the start of the second half and Magri levelled on 51 minutes with a far-post header across Kone after a pin-point cross by Georges-Kevin Nkoudou.

Kone rescued Guinea as the end of regular time approached, first parrying, then grasping the ball after a close-range shot from Karl Toko Ekambi.

There were water breaks in both halves to assist the players, who had to contend with 36 Celsius (97 Fahrenheit) heat when the match kicked off in the central city.

In the second series of group matches on Friday, Cameroon tackle Senegal and Guinea face Gambia in a Yamoussoukro double-header.

AFP

FIFA rankings: Super Eagles Drop To 45th, Remain Sixth In Africa

Published

9 hours ago

September 18, 2025

Editor

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have slipped one place in the latest FIFA World Rankings, falling from 44th to 45th globally while maintaining sixth position on the African continent.

The new rankings, released via FIFA’s official X handle on Thursday, reflect the team’s continued struggles under Coach Eric Chelle amid a stuttering 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

This marks a second consecutive decline after the Nigerian side dropped from 43rd to 44th in August and also slipped out of the top five nations in Africa on the back of poor outings in recent international matches.

Despite Nigeria’s setback, several African teams made progress. Morocco remains the continent’s highest-ranked side, sitting 11th in the world after winning eight of their last nine matches. Senegal, Egypt, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire complete Africa’s top five.

Lesotho slipped to 153rd place, while Benin Republic, Nigeria’s upcoming opponent, climbed to 93rd. South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, who held the Super Eagles to a 1-1 draw in June, rose to 55th, strengthening their bid for World Cup qualification.

Zimbabwe had the biggest slide down the ranking table, dropping nine places to 125th position in the world.

The rankings highlight Nigeria’s struggle to regain form on the global stage as key rivals continue to surge ahead.

Similarly, the Super Falcons of Nigeria remain 36th best in the world], while the Spanish female national team replaced the USA at the top of the women’s ranking.

Sports

Edo Sports Commission Liaises With Education Ministry To Support President Unity Cup, Other

Published

1 day ago

September 17, 2025

Editor

Edo State Sports Commission has expressed readiness to liaise with the state Ministry Education in giving the necessary backing to this year’s President Unity Cup and Chief of Naval Staff Tournament.

Executive Chairman of the commission, Hon. Amadin Desmond Enabulele, expressed the commission’s readiness on Wednesday when he played host to national leadership of the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON), led by its National Secretary, Mr. Patrick Okpavuerhe.

He expressed the commission’s readiness after the YSFON National Secretary requested Edo State to host this year’s President Unity Cup, scheduled for September 25 to October 1, 2025, or alternatively, the Chief of Naval Staff Tournament.

Represented by Executive Director representing Edo Central at the commission, Barr. Anthony Ikuenobe, Enabulele assured the YSFON members of the commission’s readiness to collaborate.

“The Commission will review past correspondences and liaise with the Ministry of Education to support these tournaments.

“Edo remains committed to youth and grassroots sports development,” Ikuenobe said.

Earlier, Okpavuerhe commended Hon. Enabulele for his remarkable strides in youth sports development, particularly Edo’s impressive record in grassroots football.

According to him, the decision of Edo to host any of the tournaments “was taken during our last Central Working Committee meeting in recognition of Edo’s outstanding contributions to grassroots sports.”

He explained that the President Unity Cup, first held in 1982 after former President Shehu Shagari donated the trophy, has become a platform to celebrate President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and Nigeria’s independence through sports, fostering national unity.

Founded in 1965, YSFON also highlighted its successful organisation of the Under-14 Boys and Under-17 Girls Chief of Naval Staff Tournament, which has been held since 1999 but never hosted in Edo State.

“We are requesting Edo’s support in providing logistics upon approval. Our plan is to host the Chief of Naval Staff Tournament in Benin City, using the President Unity Cup as a test run,” Okpavuerhe added.

Also speaking, Alhaji Ahmed Abdullah, YSFON’s National Welfare Officer and Acting National Organising Secretary, also praised Edo’s strong showing at the recently concluded National Youth Games in Asaba, describing the state as “one of Nigeria’s foremost promoters of grassroots sports development.”

Others present at the meeting included Mr. Kali Gwegwe (Vice President, YSFON South-South Zone), Mr. Osagiede Osamudiamen (Chairman, Edo State YSFON), Mr. Harrison Iyonmana (Secretary, Edo State YSFON), and Mr. Benmore Omoregieva (Welfare Officer, Edo State YSFON).

Sports

Edo Cricket Association Presents Indoor Facility Designs To Sports Commission Boss

Published

1 day ago

September 17, 2025

Editor

The Edo State Cricket Association on Wednesday formally presented the proposed structural and mechanical designs for an Indoor Cricket Facility in Edo State to the Executive Chairman of the Edo State Sports Commission, Hon. Amadin Desmond Enabulele.

The presentation marks a significant step in advancing cricket infrastructure in the state, aligning with Edo’s broader vision of strengthening grassroots sports development.

Those present at the presentation include: Theophilus A. Ibodeme (High Performance Coach and Manager), Osasu Agbonwanegbe (Senior Special Assistant to the President/Chairman, Nigerian Cricket Federation), Esosa Aghohowa (Technical Assistant/Coach) and Afari Abdulhamid (Coach/Field Officer).