Algeria’s head coach, Djamel Belmadi, was left in tears after Karl Toko Ekambi’s stoppage-time goal in the second half of extra-time fired Cameroon into the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The Desert Warriors came into the game with an advantage after defeating The Indomitable Lions 1-0 in Cameroon in the first leg.
But Rigobert Song’s squad had other plans in mind for North Africans at the Stade Mustapha Tchaker Stadium on Tuesday night.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored the all-important away goal for Cameroon in the 22nd minute to draw both sides level on aggregate.
Ajax goalkeeper, Andre Onana, brought in the desert storm against the Algerians, pulling a number of outstanding saves to deny the hosts an equaliser which could have spelt doom for Cameroon.
The fierce encounter saw Algeria register 21 attempts and 11 shots on target against Cameroon’s 15 (5 on target).
Cameroon managed to force the game into extra time but Algeria found the back of the net, thinking they had stolen the lead, however, the goal was ruled out for handball.
However, with two minutes to the end of the extra time(second-half), Ahmed Touba finally beat Onana, to make it 1-1 (2-1 on aggregate), a result that automatically placed them on the road to Qatar 2022.
But Cameroon had another plan which was revealed by Ekambi when he netted the winner (120+4′) – a few minutes before the final whistle, leaving the home fans heartbroken and coach Belmadi inconsolable.
Cameroon join Senegal, Tunisia, Ghana and Morocco as Africa’s five representatives at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
