Soccer-Hosts Cameroon top Cup of Nations group despite being held

Cameroon gave up a second-half goal to the Cape Verde Islands as they were held to a 1-1 draw on Monday but the hosts still finished top of Group A in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Cameroon gave up a second-half goal to the Cape Verde Islands as they were held to a 1-1 draw on Monday but the hosts still finished top of Group A in the Africa Cup of Nations. Captain Vincent Aboubakar scored his fifth goal of the tournament to put Cameroon in the lead in the 39th minute before halftime substitute Garry Rodrigues equalised in the 53rd minute.

Rodrigues' audacious back flick ensured Cape Verde finished with four points in third place in the standings. They are likely to advance as one of four best third placed finishers. Burkina Faso finished second, also with four points, after a 1-1 draw with Ethiopia in the other Group A match. (Writing by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Pritha Sarkar)