MALABO: Powerhouses Cameroon and Ivory Coast both battled back from a goal down to avoid shock defeats as they drew 1-1 with Mali and Guinea respectively in the African Nations Cup on Tuesday to leave Group ‘D’ perfectly poised ahead of the second round of matches.

Mali were six minutes away from their first ever win over the Indomitable Lions in a raw, bruising encounter when Ambroise Oyongo struck an equaliser for the Indomitable Lions, cancelling out Sambou Yatabare’s opener at the Estadio de Malabo.

Mali, third in the last two Nations Cups, thought they had grabbed a last-minute win when Yatabare headed in a rebound following Seydou Keita’s free kick, but it was ruled offside.

“It was a very complete performance, with intensity and a good rhythm. We played quality football against a Cameroon team whose own qualities we are well aware of,” Mali’s Polish coach Henryk Kasperczak said.

In the first game of the day at the same venue, the Ivorians were down to 10 men and trailing to Mohamed Yattara’s goal against Guinea before Seydou Doumbia saved their blushes in another full-bloodied encounter which saw Gervinho dismissed just before the hour.

“We bounced back. It’s a good point for us,” said Ivory Coast captain Yaya Toure, who recently won his fourth African player of the year award. “We have a couple of games coming, and I hope we will do well in them.”

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2015

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