YAOUNDE, Cameroon – The Zimbabwe Warriors’ bid to hunt down the Indomitable Lions in their own jungle failed to yield after they lost 2-1 at the Stade Omnisport Ahmadou Ahidjo in Yaounde, Cameroon on Tuesday in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualification Group J match.
With Zimbabwe having already booked their own place in the continental football showcase next year, the Warriors went into the clash needing to maintain pride.
However, that was not to be as two first half goals by their highly rated opponents were enough to subdue them.
From the beginning, the Indomitable Lions put pressure on the Warriors’ defence.
In the eighteenth minute, Vincent Aboubakar broke the tie by charging into the visitors’ box and scored his 42nd goal in Cameroonian shirt.
Christian Bassogog’s long ball to Georges-Kevin N’koudou, who cut inside from the left and fired past custodian Washington Arubi, extended Cameroon’s advantage in the 23rd minute.
The two sides went into the breather with the hosts leading 2-0.
After the restart, the Warriors needed to figure out how to get past the Indomitable Lions’ strong defence, so coach Michael Nees brought on strikers Terrence Dzvukamanja and Prince Dube in the 59th minute.
Although Cameroon managed to achieve a 2-1 victory, Dzvukamanja was an inspirational substitution as the SuperSport United forward beat Manchester United’s No. 1 Andre Onana in the hosts’ goal-posts to cut the deficit in the 73rd minute.
Dzukamanja would however cherish the experience of breaching Onana, the celebrity goalminder who stars for one of the world’s most popular football clubs.
The Warriors finished second in the group standings with two wins, three draws, and one loss, which occurred on the final day of the qualifiers.
Cameroon, boasting the second most AFCON titles after Egypt, finished the qualifying campaign at the top of the Group J standings with four wins and two draws.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING FROM SUPERSPORT
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