Cameroon’s Little Lions beat Gabon 4-1 in the UNIFFAC U20 semi-final at the Olembé stadium in Yaoundé, officially sealing their qualification for the U20 AFCON in Ghana 2027.
Cameroon U20 will play at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana 2027. The Little Lions secured their ticket by beating Gabon 4-1 in the UNIFFAC U20 semi-final, according to Foot-Africa.com.
The comeback came late. The young Gabonese had taken the lead against the run of play, before U20 international striker Joachim Songue scored a brace, including a goal in stoppage time.
Litombo strikes, Songue turns it around
The story begins with an oddity: Gabon played ten against eleven from the first minute, following an early sending-off reported by Foot-Africa.com. Despite being a man down, it was the Gabonese who found the breakthrough first.
Gabonese scorer Kewel Litombo opened the scoring in the 49th minute, against the run of play. Gabon held their lead until the 61st minute, when Joachim Songue equalised. Samuel Fonyuy Achu, a U20 international striker, then put Cameroon ahead in the 76th minute, making it 2-1 until stoppage time.
The end of the match swung decisively: Songue completed his brace in stoppage time (90+2), then Serge Bengono wrapped up the scoring in the 90+3. Three goals in about fifteen minutes sealed the 4-1 scoreline.
A flawless run for the Little Lions
The win extends the perfect run of national U20 coach Yvan Kenmoe, whose side has won all three of its matches in the tournament. In the group stage, Cameroon had beaten Chad (3-0) and then the Central African Republic (2-0), reports Foot-Africa.com.
That flawless record allowed Cameroon to claim one of the two qualifying spots for the U20 AFCON from the Central Africa zone, according to the same source. Afrik-Foot.com states that qualification is official following this semi-final and highlights Gabon’s elimination.
Central African Republic reach the final
The Little Lions are not done with their tournament yet. The UNIFFAC final will pit them against the Central African Republic, who beat Congo (2-0), according to Foot-Africa.com. It will be played in Yaoundé.
The two finalists already know each other: during the group stage, Cameroon had beaten the Central African Republic 2-0.