ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast —
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Christopher Wooh was the last player to score during an extraordinary period of injury time as Cameroon beat Gambia 3-2 on Tuesday to keep its African Cup of Nations participation alive.
On the other hand, Ghana and Algeria were eliminated on the day.
Cameroon, in danger of premature elimination, secured its place in the knockout phase as second in Group C, thanks to scoring more goals than Guinea, defeated 2-0 by Senegal, which took the top spot.
Defender Muhammed Sanneh sparked celebration among Ivory Coast fans by scoring after Wooh. However, the VAR showed that he had used a handball, and the goal was disallowed.
A draw would have eliminated both teams and given the Ivorian hosts a better chance of advancing.
“There are many surprises this year, but we had confidence in ourselves,” said Georges-Kévin Nkodou, who shook the horizontal for Cameroon in the first half. “We all know that things can happen very quickly, and that is what has happened. I have no words, I don’t know what to say. Is incredible”.
Gambia had put itself in the fight for the round of 16 spots by coming back to make the score 2-1. Ebrima Colley scored five minutes before regulation time ended.
An own goal by James Gómez, two minutes later, restored equality for the Cameroonians. Wooh scored the winning goal with a header from a corner kick in the first minute of stoppage time.
Senegal, defending champions, finished with a perfect nine points after the three rounds, followed by Cameroon and Guinea with four. Gambia was bottom, without points, despite all the excitement it had generated in the competition.
Coach Tom Saintfiet resigned after the match.
Cameroon’s victory also left out Ghana, which expected to finish as one of the best four third parties.
Mauritania eliminated two-time champions Algeria, winning the first match in its history in this competition 1-0, to advance to the round of 16.
