After dispatching The Gambia in the AFCON Quarter Finals, Cameroon now have it all to do against record winners Egypt in Thursday’s Semi-Final in Yaoundé.
Defending African Champions Cameroon had to dig deep into their reserves to begin their AFCON title defense with 2-0 victory against Guinea-Bissau. It took 66 minutes of play for them to break the deadlock through a headed effort from defender Yaya Banana. Ghana were held by the Squirrels of Benin in their Group F opening match in Ismailia.
AFCON debutants Mauritania were given a baptism of fire as they were beaten convincingly by West African neighbors Mali 4-1 in their Group E. Meanwhile, the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire began their campaign with a lone goal victory over Bafana Bafana, and Angola snatched a late equalizer to earn a 1-1 draw with the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia.
Algeria’s Les Fennecs started their African Cup of Nations campaign with a 2-0 win over the Harambee Stars of Kenya at the June 30 Stadium in Cairo. Meanwhile, the Teranga Lions beat the Taifa Stars of Tanzania by two goals to nil, while Keimune’s own goal earned the Atlas Lions of Morocco a slim win over the Brave Warriors of Namibia.
Did you know that the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations will be the 32nd edition of the tournament? Do you know how and when it all started? If the answer is no, then you are in the right place. So let’s dive back into history and have look at how the idea of a continental tournament for African countries came to life, 62 years ago.
On May 19, the Organizing Committee of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations unveiled the official mascot of the tournament: A footballer Pharaoh named Tut. While Committee Director Mohamed Fadel praised the work done by the creative agency, Tut's image doesn't seem to be very original, argues The Cult of Calcio's contributor Mohamed Ezzat.