Lions force Eagles to 1-1 draw in Yaounde
Cameroon fought back from a goal down to claim a 1-1 draw with Nigeria in a 2018 World Cup qualifier in Yaounde on Monday night.
Having been thrashed 4-0 by the Super Eagles on the weekend, the stalemate provides at least some redemption for the Indomitable Lions, though their hopes of reaching Russia 2018 are all but gone.
The result does mean that Nigeria will have to wait until at least the next round of matches in October to confirm their place at the World Cup finals.
Both teams took their time in settling into the match, with Nigeria particularly happy to sit back and let their hosts make most of the running in the early minutes.
The Super Eagles gradually warmed to their task and began to threaten from a string of set pieces.
On the half hour mark, in the wake of a dead-ball scenario, Victor Moses drove a low cross toward goal that was only half-saved by Fabrice Ondoa, and Moses Simon arrived to sweep home the loose ball and put Nigeria ahead.
Three minutes later it was nearly 2-0, with Odion Ighalo turning his marker inside out before firing a left-footed shot just over the target.
Cameroon started strongly in the second half, but struggled to find a way past Nigeria’s resilient defence - led by the centre-back pairing of Leon Balogun and William Troost-Ekong.
However, Cameroon drew level with 15 minutes of regulation time to play, as Aboubakar converted a debatable penalty which had been given away in a collision between goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Arnaud Djoum.