10-Man Guinea Roar Back to Hold Cameroon in AFCON Thriller

• Guinea, ranked 80th in the world, stunned Cameroon with an early goal from Mohamed Bayo.
• Guinea skipper Francois Kamano was sent off for a stamp on Frank Magri’s heel.
• Despite being down a man, Guinea held firm and almost snatched victory.
• Cameroon missed the presence of the injured Vincent Aboubakar.
• The draw leaves both sides with work to do to qualify for the knockout stages.

The Africa Cup of Nations continues to throw up surprises, with five-time champions Cameroon held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Guinea in Group C.

Guinea, ranked 80th in the world, stunned the Indomitable Lions with an early lead through Mohamed Bayo, but their skipper Francois Kamano was sent off for a stamp on Frank Magri’s heel just before halftime. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Guinea held firm and even came close to snatching victory before Karl Toko Ekambi’s late effort was saved by Ibrahim Kone.

Cameroon’s woes were compounded by the absence of their talismanic striker Vincent Aboubakar, who is out injured. His presence was sorely missed as the Indomitable Lions struggled to create clear-cut chances.

Guinea, on the other hand, coped admirably without their own star man, Bundesliga’s second top scorer Serhou Guirassy. Mohamed Bayo showed his quality with a fine finish for the opening goal, and Sekou Sylla almost added a second with a long-range effort that went just over.

The draw leaves both sides with work to do to qualify for the knockout stages, with holders Senegal sitting top of Group C after their 3-0 win over The Gambia. Cameroon face a daunting task against Senegal on Friday, while Guinea will take on The Gambia in a match they will fancy their chances of winning.