Chan 2021: Sylla inspires Guinea past Cameroon to finish third

Guinea finished third in the 2021 African Nations Championship after beating Cameroon 2-0 on Saturday at the Reunification Stadium in Douala.

Morlaye Sylla and Mamadouba Camara scored the two goals that saw off the hosts and helped resilient Syli National to finish as the third-best team in the tournament.

A spirited fight by the Indomitable Lions especially in the second half did not produce any meaningful result that would have denied the West Africans a chance to grab the third place.

Sylla, Guinea’s outstanding player of the tournament, struck in the ninth minute after he found his way past Cameroon’s backline and slotted home past goalkeeper Haschou Kerrido.

Cameroon would have scored goals as three chances went abegging when they exerted pressure on their opponents midway through the first half. Felix Oukine, Bertrand Junior and Salomon Bindjeme saw their chances go to waste as Guinea remained resolute while under pressure.

After Abou Camara had dived low to deny Bindjeme, Ngnowa Yre also wasted a chance in the 37th minute as he fired straight into Moussa Camara’s hands although he had the space to launch a more clinical shot.

After dealing with Cameroon’s pressure, Guinea launched a counter-attack, beat the offside trap and scored the second goal in the first minute of added time of the first half. In a one-on-one situation with Cameroonian goalkeeper Kerrido, Camara did well to slot home and extend their lead just before the break.

As was the case in the first half, Guinea managed to operate under intense pressure from the hosts in the opening minutes of the second half.

Guinea survived from conceding in the 56th minute when goalkeeper Camara punched a ball onto Oukine’s path but defender Kalif Traote made a quick goal-line clearance to deny Oukine and to ensure the status quo remained.

Camara was called to action in the 61st minute when he stopped Martin Ako from finding the back of the net with a clinical effort just outside the penalty box.

Camara again saved Guinea from conceding when, in the 82nd minute, he dived to his left-hand side and pushed Anthony Mfede’s goal-bound free-kick away as a determined Cameroon saw their hopes of a comeback fading each minute.

As Guinea contend with the third place against the hosts, Morocco would be hoping to successfully defend the title when they will clash against Mali in Sunday’s final.