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Lions prove indomitable Cameroon tops Tunisia, moves to final
Posted: Thursday February 10, 2000 11:43 PM
ACCRA, Ghana (AP) -- Cameroon striker Patrick Mboma scored twice as The Inomitable Lions advanced to the African Nations Cup final for the first time in 12 years with a 3-0 win against Tunisia on Thursday. Samuel Oto'o was also on the mark as Cameroon lined up a Feb. 13 final against co-host Nigeria in Lagos. Cameroon got a breakthrough three minutes into the second half when a long throw in from the right created panic in the Tunisian penalty area, allowing Mboma to blast the ball in from close range. On an 83rd-minute counterattack, Mboma threaded a pass through to Oto'o who expertly lifted the ball over goalkeeper Chokri El Ouaer to double the lead. Mboma finished off the job two minutes from time, breaking down the right and shooting in from a tight angle. Cameroon, which won the last of its two African titles in 1988, had the better goalscoring chances of an evenly-matched clash. Just before half-time, El Ouaer blocked an Oto'o shot and when the ball fell kindly to Mboma, the big Cagliari striker blasted the ball wide of an unguarded net. Tunisia, an African Nations Cup finalist in 1965 and 1996, had won only one of the sides' previous ten meetings and started the semifinal clash as underdog. But the North Africans nearly took the lead as early as the second minute when Fribourg striker Adel Sellimi, Tunisia's only European-based player, was just wide with a near-post header Tunisia's best chance came midway through the first half when Meher Kanzari's shot from the edge of the penalty was superbly kept out by Boukar Alioum. Tunisian fans vented their anger after the match, hurling dozens of bottles onto the pitch and police wee called in to stop the disturbances. Lineups: Cameroon: Boukar Alioum; Rigobert Song, Beyaka Njanka, Raymond Kalla, Salomon Olembe; Marc-Vivien Foe, Bernard Tchoutang (Pierre Wome, 46th), Laurent Mayer, Geremi Njitap; Patrick Mboma, Samuel Eto'o. Tunisia: Chokri El Ouaer; Khaled Badra, Raouf Bouzayane, Sirajeddine Chihi, Sami Trabelsi, Radhi Jaidi; Tarek Thabet, Meher Kanzari (Riadh Bouazizi, 64th), Zied Jaziri (Ali Zitouni, 59th); Hassene Gabsi, Adel Sellimi (Imed Mehdhebi, 73rd).
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