Cameroon and Mali open African Nations Championship (CHAN) with slim victory as Zimbabwe and Burkina suffer loss
Nine months after it should have started, the African Nations Championship (CHAN) finally kicked off on Saturday as host nation Cameroon beat Zimbabwe 1-0 in Yaounde.
Playing in Group A, Salomon Banga scored the match-winner 18 minutes from time as the defender showed good agility to score with an overhead kick.
With Fifa president Gianni Infantino, Caf’s new honorary president Issa Hayatou and Cameroon’s Prime Ministe Joseph Ngute watching on, Cameroon dominated large swathes of the game only to be let down by their shooting accuracy.
Zimbabwe goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda kept his side in the game but was fortunate that several Cameroon efforts were straight at him.
Later on Saturday, Mali beat Burkina Faso 1-0, after a goal from Siaka Bagayoko, to go joint top of the group with Cameroon, whom they meet next on Wednesday with the Burkinabe meeting Zimbabwe in the day’s other game.
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