January 13, (THEWILL) – Cameroon captain Vincent Aboubakar scored a brilliant double to help his country to a 4-1 win over Ethiopia at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Aboubakar and Karl Toko Ekambi feasted on generous Ethiopian defence at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde to make it two wins from two for Cameroon. This was Aboubakar’s second double in the AFCON, following the two penalties in the opening triumph over Burkina Faso.
Dawa Hotessa had earlier tucked in from close range after some shoddy defence to startle the home crowd in the fourth minute. Cameroon responded almost immediately, drawing equal with a stunning header from Toko Ekambi in the eighth minute.
In the build-up, Teklemariam Shanko of Ethiopia stopped Aboubakar’s 25-yard shot, but Collins Fai grabbed the loose ball wide on the right and delivered in a wonderful cross for Toko Ekambi to finish clinically at the far post.
Another Fai cross caused havoc in the Ethiopian penalty area, allowing the hosts to take a 2-1 lead in the 53rd minute. Aboubakar smashed his header down into the ground and into the back of the net after another pass from the right.
Two minutes later, Aboubakar added his second, slotting in Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu’s low cross from the edge of the six-yard box.
Toko Ekambi, who had previously hit the post with a header, finished his brace with a powerful low effort in the 67th minute as Ethiopia’s defence stood off, unable to handle Cameroon’s talent once more. It is a welcome departure from the slew of single-goal results that have characterised the competition so far.
The only team to have enjoyed more than one goal was also Cameroon and they have set the bar again with four as they make their title challenge blatantly obvious from the get go. They have also become the first team to qualify for the next round.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
