And Cameroon know how it feels…
Cameroon #Cameroon
Cameroon face Gambia in Group C at AFCON at the same time as Senegal vs Guinea, with Manchester United goalkeeper Onana relegated to the substitutes
Ed Mackey
January 23, 2024 at 12:23 PM EST
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Latest: Gambia 0-0 Cameroon
Gambia starting XI: Gaye; Sanneh, Gomez, O. Colley, Mendy; Jallow, Manneh, Bobb, Minteh; Barrow; Sowe.
Cameroon starting XI: Ondoa; Wooh, Castelletto, Tolo; Tchato, Ntcham, Anguissa, Yongwa; Toko Ekambi, Magri, N’Koudou.
And Cameroon know how it feels…
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Cameroon are also operating without their captain and talisman.
Vincent Aboubakar, who won the Golden Boot with eight goals at AFCON 2021, was injured on the eve of this year’s tournament. But, like Egypt’s Salah situation, Cameroon hope to have him available for the latter stages, if they make it that far.
Aboubakar’s absence has been compounded by an injury suffered by Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo which has ruled him out completely.
The big question is whether they can make it through to the knockouts without their two star forwards.
Egypt had to do it without Salah
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While he was there with his team-mates as they stumbled over the line in Group B, Egypt had to get a result against Cape Verde without Mohamed Salah.
And they will have to do that, at least, until the semi-final if they get there.
He has often had to bear the weight of a nation’s hopes on his shoulders and, even though he cannot help at the moment, that pressure is going nowhere.
Simon Hughes wrote about the demand on the Liverpool star — give it a read below.
GO FURTHER
Mohamed Salah: A portrait of a player under pressure
A nightmare for the hosts
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As tournament hosts, Ivory Coast were expected to go far and it was unthinkable among their fans that they would be eliminated at the group stage.
But that is the reality staring them in the face after they were thumped 4-0 by Equatorial Guinea.
There is, however, a glimmer of hope for Ivory Coast as they can still make the knockouts. To do that, they must be among the four best third-place teams.
And they have already guaranteed a place in the top five third-place teams having accumulated more points than Ghana.
How did Group A and Group B finish?
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And here is how those results left the first two groups:
Group A
Group B
Ivory Coast and Ghana now face the nervous wait to see if they are one of the best third-placed teams, although it isn’t looking rosey for either of them.
Yesterday at AFCON
Yesterday was arguably the best day of this year’s AFCON.
There were goals (some allowed and some disallowed), missed chances, penalties and more late goals than I think I have ever seen — it had everything.
In the end, it was Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Cape Verde and Egypt who finished in the qualification places and ensured they will definitely be heading into the quarter-finals.
Group A
Group B
ICYMI: More prize money on offer at AFCON
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has increased the prize money on offer for the winners of AFCON to $7million (£5.5m).
Ahead of the tournament getting underway, CAF president Patrice Motsepe announced the 40 per cent increase in prize money for the winners, with the runners-up earning $4m. The losing semi-finalists will receive $2.5m each and the four quarter-finalists who get eliminated will take home $1.3m.
“CAF has made significant progress over the past two years in increasing the prize money of the AFCON and all its other major competitions,” Motsepe said in a statement.
Read more below.
GO FURTHER
AFCON winners to get extra 40 per cent in prize money with up to $7m on offer
Follow our transfer news live blog
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Alongside this live blog, The Athletic is also running several others.
The first I’ll point you towards is our transfer news live blog here, run by the truly exceptional Michael Bailey and Colin Millar.
Follow all the latest transfer news from the Premier League – and beyond (as Buzz Lightyear almost said).
AFCON all-time winners
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Seven nations have won the Africa Cup of Nations more than once:
Who has won the tournament recently?
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Senegal won the 2021 edition, beating Egypt 4-2 on penalties two years after losing 1-0 against Algeria in the final.
In 2017, Cameroon came out on top, 2-1 against Egypt. Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Zambia won the previous three tournaments, following Egypt’s three in a row from 2006 to 2010.
Everything you need to know about AFCON 2023
Listen to Tifo Football’s brilliantly informative podcast furnishing you with everything you need to know for the tournament right here.
Jon Mackenzie, Maher Mezahi and Alasdair Howorth answer all those questions, and more. Listen in!
How does Group C look?
It looks pretty cut and dry heading into the final pair of fixtures in Group C, but there is still a chance for Cameroon to gatecrash the qualification places.
Although, in order to do that, they will need a favour from Senegal against second-placed Guinea.
And they will, of course, have to win their own game in the first place.
Why AFCON matters
In 2022, Ivory Coast striker Sebastien Haller was asked if he would prefer to stay with his title-chasing Dutch club Ajax to start the year rather than go to the Africa Cup of Nations.
His response was to the point.
“This question shows the disrespect for Africa,” he said.
“Would this question ever get asked to a European player ahead of the Euros? Of course I am going.”
Read more below.
GO FURTHER
Why AFCON matters
Subscribe to The Athletic hereToday’s AFCON schedule
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Like I said, another busy day at AFCON awaits.
Up first is the conclusion of Group C, then it is time for the last games in Group D.
Group C
Group D
How to watch Gambia vs Cameroon
Here are the viewing options for those of you hoping to watch the game:
What time is Gambia vs Cameroon?
I mentioned that we’ll have a few hours of build up and that is because the game kicks off at 5pm GMT/12pm ET/9am PT.
Hello and welcome
Hello and welcome to another busy day at the Africa Cup of Nations and another busy day here at The Athletic, as a result.
Over the next few hours, we will be bringing you build up ahead of Gambia’s Group C game against Cameroon.
At the same time, Senegal and Guinea will be doing battle and we will have sporadic updates from that game for you.
So, sit tight and enjoy!