Congo Brazzaville qualify as Cameroon bow out

AGADIR (Morocco): Congo Brazzaville became the fifth country to qualify for the African Nations Championship quarterfinals by beating Burkina Faso Saturday, while Cameroon were eliminated after losing to Angola.

Substitute Georges Bidimbou scored with a close-range header during the second minute of stoppage time to clinch a 2-0 Group D triumph for Congo in southern Moroccan city Agadir.

Carof Bakoua had put Congo ahead on 67 minutes, tapping the ball into the net after Burkina Faso captain and goalkeeper Adama Sawadogo could only parry a header.

Congo, who edged Cameroon during the first series of group games in a tournament for localbased footballers, have six points and are sure of a top-two finish with a game to play.

Captain Ricardo “Job” Estevao converted a debatable penalty on 30 minutes to earn Angola a 1-0 victory in the first half of a double-header watched by about 10,000 spectators.

Bertrand Owundi was judged to have fouled Va, one of many Angolans who prefer short Brazilian-style football names to their often lengthy official ones.

The Angolan made the most of the penalty-area contest for possession, falling easily after minimal contact between the rivals.

It was sweet revenge for Angola who drew and lost to the same country in previous tournaments while Cameroon bowed out at the group stage after reaching the quarter-finals in two other appearances.

Cameroon are the second “big name” football nation after the Ivory Coast to lose their opening two matches and be eliminated from the biennial tournament.

Angola have four points and need one more from their final group fixture against Congo next Wednesday to be sure of reaching the knockout phase.

Title favourites Morocco, Sudan, Zambia and Namibia have also reached the quarterfinals, leaving Nigeria, Rwanda, Libya, Angola and Burkina Faso to fight for the other three places.