Epassy Howler denies Cameroon a win against Nsue’s Guinea

Cameroon was forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in Monday’s friendly encounter at the Grand Stade de Marrakech, despite dominating for large spells and taking the lead through Vincent Aboubakar.

The Indomitable Lions looked sharp in the early stages, sparked into life almost immediately when Emilio Nsue capitalised on a defensive lapse to bear down on goal.

Devis Epassy, making his return to the Cameroon starting line-up for the first time since March 2023, reacted swiftly to deny the AFCON 2023 top scorer within the first minute.

The scare appeared to galvanise Marc Brys’ side, who quickly asserted control and piled pressure on Equatorial Guinea’s defence.

Aboubakar, leading the line once more, proved a constant threat but struggled to find the finishing touch.

In the 15th minute, the veteran forward, currently without a club, fired into the side netting from a tight angle.

Cameroon thought they had broken the deadlock two minutes later when Wilitty Younoussa’s deflected effort beat goalkeeper Manuel Sapunga.

However, the young midfielder’s joy was cut short as the goal was disallowed for an apparent foul in the build-up.

Persistence paid off just before the half-hour mark.

A well-worked move saw Patrick Soko deliver a precise assist into the box, where Aboubakar slid in to convert and give the five-time African champions a deserved 1-0 lead.

But the advantage was short-lived. Cameroon’s defensive composure faltered once again, and in the 39th minute, Epassy’s errant clearance fell to Nsue, who calmly slotted home the equaliser to level the score at 1-1.

After the break, both teams sought a winner in an increasingly open contest.

Aboubakar came closest to restoring Cameroon’s lead in the 61st minute, only to be denied by a crucial last-ditch tackle as he prepared to pull the trigger.

In stoppage time, Cameroon nearly found the winner through a long-range effort, but Sapunga pulled off a stunning save to keep his side level.

Just moments later, Nsue almost snatched victory for Equatorial Guinea, but his curling strike was tipped onto the post by Epassy in a moment of redemption for the goalkeeper.

Despite the draw, Cameroon remain unbeaten under new head coach Marc Brys.

However, the match highlighted both promise in attack and persistent vulnerabilities at the back that the team will need to address ahead of competitive fixtures.