Its assessment :
« It's always frustrating to be eliminated. We're one of the biggest nations in the CAN, so we wanted to win the title, but I remember the spirit of the group, it was united. On a human level, it was a great experience, and on a sporting level too. Playing against world-class players makes you grow. It didn't come down to much, but I think it bodes well for the future. We've got a young squad and that experience will serve us well in the future. We won't be repeating the same mistakes. »
Its goal :
« The match was a resounding success and we were under a lot of stress because of the way the game went (against Gambia). We were 1-0 up from the 60th minute. We went backwards after that, played with fear and conceded two goals in a row. At the 85th minute, you can say it's all over but there's always hope because we're Cameroon and we've managed to turn situations around. The good thing was that we scored the equaliser quite quickly. When I went up to my team-mate in defence, Jean-Charles Castelletto, I told him we were going to score. With determination, I put my head in and it went in. It was a crazy feeling. We left a lot of energy behind mentally.
Since I turned pro, this is the match with the most emotion and the most joy. I've always dreamt of scoring a goal in the last few minutes, but in these circumstances... If we didn't score, we wouldn't have qualified. To score a goal for your country is magnificent. I'm going to keep working on my set-pieces so that I can score more. »
His prognosis :
« I was surprised. In the Round of 16, some big teams were eliminated. We came up against Senegal, who were really strong in the group stage. I thought they'd go all the way, but you can see there aren't any big or small teams. The level is even, and I'd put my money on South Africa, who knocked out Morocco, one of the favourites. What's more, their performances have been consistent. However, I also hope that Hamari Traoré's Mali make it through. »
