Cameroon and hosts Morocco have secured places in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations following hard-fought victories in their respective round of 16 matches on Sunday.
Cameroon advanced with a 2–1 win over South Africa, snapping a seven-game winless streak against Bafana Bafana. The Indomitable Lions found the breakthrough in the 34th minute after a corner was only partially cleared, allowing Junior Tchamadeu to calmly curl home his first international goal from close range.
The West Africans struck again shortly after the restart. Aboubakar Nagida’s accurate delivery from the flank was met by Christian Kofane, who headed in from a tight angle to double Cameroon’s lead. South Africa pressed for a way back into the contest, but goalkeeper Devis Epassy produced a string of impressive saves, including a close-range stop from Samukele Kabini and a well-timed intervention to deny Teboho Mokoena’s free kick.
The pressure eventually paid off for South Africa late on, with Evidence Makgopa pulling one back from close range two minutes from time. However, Cameroon showed resilience in the closing moments to hold on and continue their run of narrow victories at the tournament.
Earlier, Morocco booked their own quarter-final spot with a tense 1–0 victory over Tanzania in front of an energetic home crowd. The Atlas Lions dominated possession throughout the first half but were frustrated by a compact Tanzanian defence, with Ismael Saibari seeing an early header ruled out for offside.
Despite their control, Morocco went into the break without a shot on target, while Tanzania looked dangerous on the counter. The hosts increased the tempo after the interval, coming close through Abde Ezzalzouli before Tanzania missed a clear chance when Feisal Salum fired over.
The decisive moment arrived in the 64th minute when Brahim Díaz squeezed a low shot past goalkeeper Hussein Masalanga at the near post, extending his scoring run in the competition. Morocco then managed the remainder of the game with composure to seal qualification.
Morocco and Cameroon will now face each other in the quarter-finals on Friday, with the hosts aiming to end a 50-year wait for continental glory and the Indomitable Lions buoyed by another gritty knockout performance.
