Cameroon coach Saidou Alioum has been left dumbstruck following his side’s exit from the ongoing TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2022 on Tuesday.
The Intermediate Lions conceded an Ousseini Soumaila Badamassi free-kick in the 69th minute that gave Niger a 1-0 lead and despite trying to find an equalizer for the remaining part of the game, Cameroon were denied any chances.
“We expected that this would be a difficult game. We have lost and are eliminated. I am speechless. We knew that we had to get a good result and now we have lost and that is it about that,” a distraught Alioum told the media at the post-match press conference at the Miloud Hadefi Stadium in Oran, Algeria.
“We tried to attack, and we failed to score. Niger defended very well. We tried to use both wings and sometimes, it worked but we did not make it count in front of goal. Niger got a free-kick and they scored.
We kept fighting until the very last play of the game. In football, you must have hope. This is why I made the changes that I made. It was not our game. Niger deserved the win. We congratulate them and wish them the best.”
Cameroon finished as second-placed in the three-team Group E at the seventh edition of the continental tournament organized for locally based players.
