Olivier Mbaizo wasn’t in the starting lineup but an early injury to Nouhou Tolo gave the Philadelphia Union defender a chance to play out a 1-0 win over Côte d’Ivoire in his home town of Douala Tuesday night that put the Indomitable Lions through to the final round of qualifying.
Mbaizo came off the bench in the 4th minute to replace Tolo and played through to the final whistle of the close contest between two teams battling in a decisive qualifier. Karl Toko Ekambi’s 21st minute goal held up as the winner.
Cameroon will be one of 10 teams competing for five spots in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in the final round of qualification for the Confederation of African Football in March.