Cameroon head coach – Antonio Conceiçao has eulogized the Indomitable Lions following their great second half display as they walloped Ethiopia 4-1 at the Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé on Thursday to become the first nation to secure Round of 16 spot in the ongoing TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations 2021.
The Indomitable Lions for the second time in the tournament came from behind to wrestle for the three points.
Dawa Dukele broke the deadlock, but two goals each from captain Vincent Aboubakar and strike partner Toko Ekambi gave the Cameroon a statement win.
Speaking in a post match interview, Cameroon coach – Antonio Conceiçao was full of praise of his players for their great performance in the second stanza;
“We played a better second half with more rigor and concentration to seal the score and put up three more points.
“We played well offensively with several goalscoring chances in addition to the four goals scored. We didn’t come close with positioning errors, but this will be corrected in our next matches to play better.
“Our objective is to win our matches and go as far as possible in the tournament.”
Karl Toko Ekambi who was voted Man of the Match also spoke about their qualification to the next phase and the expectation of the team as the tournament progress:
“We are happy after our victory tonight, synonymous with qualification for the next round of the competition. The fans have seen a great show and we hope to have more people in our next match against Cape Verde”.
Meanwhile, Wubetu Abate [Ethiopia coach] believes his team lost the game due to inexperience:
“We did everything to put in a good match and a good performance against Cameroon. We scored a goal early in the game but couldn’t keep the score in our favour. We are learning in the big competitions.
“Experience has made the difference between us and the Cameroon team. Each match has its characteristics. The matches are different but we try to show our abilities and play good football.”
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