04 February 2022
Jeremiah Harrison
Sports Reporter
The host nation of 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon have been eliminated from the tournament.
The elimination came after a grueling 120 minutes of play through penalities.
The second semi final fixture left Cameroonian fans in tears after they lost to Egypt. The two sides were fighting for the other slot in the final after Senegal sidelined Burkina Faso by a 3-1 goal margin in the other semi final played on Wednesday.
Egypt won by 3-1 in the penalty shoot after the match ended in a goalless stalemate after the extra-time.
Cameroons were the better side in the first half, coming close on three occasions, hitting the post once keeping Egypt on the backfoot for the first 45 minutes.
The Pharoahs had one meaningful chance which was tipped over the bar by Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana.
There was drama towards the end of the match when the Egyptian coach, Carlos Quiroz, was sent off for remonstrating against the referee.
Moments later his assistant was also given a yellow card for the same offence.
According to Law 5 FIFA Rules and Regulations states that referee takes action against team officials who fail to act in a responsible manner, as a result the whistle blower did his job.
Reports emanating from Cameroon state that earlier on the before the game Egyptian technical team complained about the referee and they had suggested that South African referee Victor Gomez should have officiated the match.
After 90 minutes of regular time the two soccer giants were tied to a goalless draw and the game stretched into the extra time.
After two hours of football there still were no goals at Olembe stadium and the game had to be decided through the dreaded penalties.
Egyptian goalkeeper was the hero of the night after he saved two penalties in the shootout before Cameroon player missed the target on the fourth penalty.
Egypt will face Senegal on Sunday 6 February in the AFCON final whereas the host nation Cameroon will play against Burkina Faso in a battle for the bronze medal.