Cameroon joined the list of Africa Cup of Nations heavyweights who failed to win their opening game of the tournament, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-men Guinea.
After Egypt and Nigeria drew with opponents they were expected to beat, Cameroon endured the same fate – despite having a man advantage for more than 45 minutes.
Frank Magri levelled after Mohamed Bayo's early opener for Guinea, before Francois Kamano's red card in first half added time shaped the rest of this Group C encounter.
The first chance of the gane in Yamoussoukro fell to Guinea defender Mouctar Diakhaby, who might have done better with a header after meeting Ilaix Moriba's whipped free-kick, but nodded over.
Guinea made most of the early running and were rewarded inside 10 minutes when Bayo showed a cool head after a scramble in the Cameroon box, slotting coolly beyond Fabrice Ondoa, who was standing in for Andre Onana in the Indomitable Lions' goal. The Manchester United goalkeeper was too late in reporting for duty after playing in Erik ten Hag's side's 2-2 draw with Tottenham on Sunday.
Cameroon, who were also without key striker Vincent Aboubakar due to injury, laboured for most of the game, struggling to carve out chances. But they were given a boost just before the break when the referee Ibrahim Mutaz showed a red card to Guinea captain Kamano – following a VAR check – for a stamp on Frank Magri.
That left the game finely poised for the second half, and Cameroon found the equaliser within seven minutes of the restart through Magri's towering header. He nodded home from Georges-Kévin Nkoudou's excellent cross as Rigobert Song's side scored from their first effort on target.
From there, they took control of possession, but chances were few and far between as they were held at arms-length by a dogged Guinea defence. Karl Toko Ekambi had the best chance to make it 2-1 when a loose ball bounced his way in the box, but he could only find the gloves of Ibrahim Kone in the Guinea goal.
After that, Cameroon probed and pressed but couldn't fashion a chance to earn all three points, as the two sides settled for a draw which puts them level in second place in Group C, behind Senegal, with Gambia bottom.
The Sporting News provided live updates from Cameroon vs. Guinea match, which you can see below.
MORE: The race for the Africa Cup of Nations Golden Boot
Cameroon vs Guinea live score
| 1st Half | 2nd Half | FT | Goal scorers | |
| Cameroon | 0 | 1 | 1 | Magri |
| Guinea | 1 | 0 | 1 | Bayo |
Confirmed lineups:
Cameroon (4-2-3-1, right to left): Ondoa; Castelletto, Wooh, Moukoudi, Yongwa, Ntcham, Kemen, Zambo-Anguissa; Magri, Toko Ekambi; Nkoudou
Subs: Ngamaleu, Tolo, N'Jie, Ateba, Tchamadeu, Gonzalez, Epassy, Neyou, Moumbagna, Elliott, Ngapandouetnbu, Tchato
Guinea (4-3-3 right to left): Kone; A.Conte, Jeanvier, Diakhaby, S.Sylla; Moriba, Konate, Guilavogui; Camara, Kamano, Bayo
Subs: A.Keita, I.Sylla, Sow, N. Keita, Diakite, K.Cisse, S.Cisse, M.Camara, Kante, F.Conte
MORE: What happened in Group C opener between Senegal and Gambia
Cameroon vs Guinea live updates, highlights, and commentary
That wraps up this live blog – thanks very much for joining The Sporting News. Above, you have the match report and you can scroll down to see all the live updates as they unfolded.
This was the goal that earned Guinea a point in the end, and it was fairly shambolic from the Cameroon defence. That rather summed up their day; they didn't hit their straps at all this afternoon.
FT: Cameroon 1-1 Guinea. That's the full-time whistle and it ends all square, which will be considered a superb result by Guinea, given they had to play the whole second half with 10 men.
Cameroon did level early in the second period through Frank Magri's header, but they didn't do anything like enough to win the game, struggling to get past Guinea – who went ahead early on through Mohammed Bayo.
93 mins: You suspect this will be considered two points dropped by Cameroon, as in fact it's Guinea fashioning a chance or two in stoppage time. Moriba fires wide from distance; then Ntcham wins a free-kick in a decent area for Cameroon to deliver into the box.
90 mins: The 90 minutes are up and we're into six added minutes now.
88 mins: Toko Ekambi has been so so quiet but the big chance falls to him, but he is denied by a doos Ibrahim Kone save! In truth, Toko Ekambi's shot was too close to the keeper.
87 mins: Time is rapidly running out for Cameroon here and, despite getting that equalising goal early in the second half, they've not really threatened to get a second.
Will Guinea tire or can they keep their concentration?
85 mins: It's a bit ragged but Toko Ekambi eventually sets up Kemen, whose shot should have been far better. Way off target.
83 mins: It's block after block, clearance after clearance from the Guinea defenders now. They're doing their jobs, as the crowd get unhappy at some timewasting from the keeper, Kone.
80 mins: There's probably at least 15 minutes left in this, when you factor in added time. Castelletto might be a right back by trade but he's camped high and wide for Cameroon, playing in numerous crosses. Conte is down having taken a knock from Castelletto.
77 mins: Castelletto hits a lovely cross that Nkoudou throws himself towards, but the former Spurs man cannot get enough contact on his header.
76 mins: Guinea are starting to get a sniff or two, fair play to them. Moriba continues to be key, while Diakité has provided fresh legs off the bench.
73 mins: Time for a drinks break.
Can Guinea hold out in the final 20 minutes? Rigobert Song hasn't yet made a substitution.
72 mins: Cameroon have become becalmed. Ntcham tries to hoof it forwards but nobody is there to pick it up. It's far more of an event game now.
69 mins: Another Cameroon corner – this one makes its way through to the oppoisite side of the pitch, before Yongwa crosses into touch. Another wasted chance.
67 mins: Guinea are hanging tough, managing to get the ball up the pitch a little. They'd definitely take a draw tonight.
64 mins: Considering Cameroon are missing Aboubakar, Bryan Mbeumo and Eric Choupo-Moting, maybe it's not a surprise that they've been a bit blunt in front of goal today. Diakhaby is the latest Guinea player to get a yellow card.
62 mins: Guinea's players and staff want a red card for a cynical foul by Moukoudi, stopping a breakaway and getting nowhere near the ball, but the referee only signals yellow.
59 mins: It's a struggle for Guinea to even get up the pitch at the moment. They're being penned back, as Sylla concedes a corner and takes a knock to the face for his troubles. Kemen's shot then goes through a crowd of players and away to safety, from Guinea's perspective.
56 mins: Nkoudou hits a pretty dreadful free kick way over the crossbar. Guinea are about to make some much-needed changes, as one Conte replaces another.
55 mins: Cameroon are getting a number of set piece opportunities now. Some indiscipline from Guinea, albeit they've defended well at times today.
52 mins: Remarkably, that was Cameroon's first effort on target today – and it brought the goal they were craving. They're now big favourites to go on and win this.
GOAL! Cameroon 1-1 Guinea – It's Magri with a towering header at the back post to equalise for Cameroon. The cross from the left was very inviting from Nkoudou, begging for Magri to rise and nod back across goal, down and in. Game on!
48 mins: Here comes a great counterattacking chance for Guinea, but they slow it down too much, with Guilavogui delaying his pass due to a risk of offside. The chance quickly disappears.
47 mins: There needs to be more crispness and tempo about Cameroon in this second half, especially given that Guinea will almost certainly sit even deeper now they have a man fewer. Nkoudou is the key man on the left flank, you feel.
SECOND HALF: We are back up and running.
Here's a proper look at that controversial red card decision, which could end up proving decisive in this game:
HALF TIME: Well, well. Guinea have the advantage in terms of goals, but a major disadvantage because they will play the second half with just 10 players. Cameroon have enjoyed plenty of possession but they've struggled to break down Guinea after that early Mohamed Bayo goal. They should get more opportunities with an extra man in the second 45 minutes.
RED CARD! The Egyptian referee Ibrahim Mutaz has indeed brandished the red card and Kamano is off. Possibly a little harsh, but it's a repeat of what happened earlier in the day with Ebou Adams of Gambia.
Guinea are down to 10 men on the stroke of half time, as a devastated Kamano is consoled. by teammates and staff.
46 mins: Goodness me, there's a VAR check for a possible red card after Guinea forward and captain Francois Kamano was booked for what appeared a stamp (of sorts) on Magri. The referee is looking at the monitor.
45 mins: We're now into four added minutes at the end of this first half.
43 mins: That should really be a yellow card for Christophe Wooh after he felled Moriba to stop a Guinea counterattack. The referee just gave a foul. Nkoudou then runs it out of play when he had options in the middle to cross to.
41 mins: Diakhaby took a bash to the face, so we'll have another delay. There ought to be a big chunk of added time at the end of this first half.
39 mins: The Cameroon pressure is certainly increasing, but their composure in the Guinea box is still letting them down. Nkoudou is creating a few decent openings with his pace down the left, while Ntcham drilled wide from range.
36 mins: Nkoudou drills in a dangerous looking free-kick but it bounces up and kindly into the arms of Guinea goalkeeper Ibrahim Kone.
34 mins: It's been tepid fare since the break, Cameroon labouring to break down this solid Guinea defence.
30 mins: Diakhaby has been impressive cleaning up at the back for Guinea, with Cameroon continually denied before they can muster a shot.
It breaks at the other end and Sylla tries an audacious long-range lob to try and catch Ondoa out. It was over, but it wasn't too far off. Time for a drinks break in these hot conditions, and a chance for Song to rally his troops.
28 mins: Toko Ekambi is flagged offside. He's another Cameroon player who hasn't seen much of the ball in this opening period.
25 mins: Battling play from Nkoudou dropping into midfield looks to get Cameroon forward, but both sides are being rather wasteful with the ball at the moment. Rigobert Song's men have offered precious little in the final third thus far.
22 mins: The first booking of the game goes to Cameroon's Frank Magri, for a needless late challenge. No inch being given by either side, but it's making for stop-start stuf at times.
20 mins: Zambo-Anguissa cannot reach a deep Cameroon free-kick. They need to get him in the game more, you'd suggest, given his importance in the middle of the park.
18 mins: Castelletto has gone quite heavily in on Camara and left the Guinea man down – in fact both players were committing very strongly to that 50-50 with the referee imploring them to calm down a touch.
14 mins: Good play from Cameroon's attacking right-back Castelletto, but for the umpteenth time already, the Indomitable Lions are caught on the counter when they lose possession, leaving too many players up the pitch. It really is very open.
11 mins: Guinea are good value for this lead. They've opened up the Cameroon defence, especially in the wide areas.
GOAL! 1-0 Guinea! The game has really opened up now, both teams looking to spread themselves wide and get direct runners going at the opposition defence. Ondoa is alert to block one shot but he cannot keep out Mohamed Bayo on the follow-up.
There's a VAR check here but the goal should really stand, surely... and it does.
7 mins: Guinea whip in a free-kick from the right flank and Moriba's delivery is a good one, finding the head of Diakhaby who nods over from near the penalty spot. The first genuine chance.
5 mins: Fabrice Ondoa is the cousin of Andre Onana in Cameroon's goal. And he's no rookie; having played more than 40 times for his country. The green shirts have seen the majority of the ball early on.
2 mins: Zambo-Anguissa signals Cameroon's aggressive intent early on with a needless shove into Guinea defender Diakhaby on the byline. A fairly quiet start, especially from the stands, which are not full.
KICK OFF: We are under way in Yamoussoukro.
A little bit of the gloss has been taken off this fixture in the tournament's 'Group of Death' with the absences of Aboubakar and Serhou Guirassy, as well as Andre Onana, but it still ought to be a decent game this evening.
15 minutes until kickoff: As we get ready for this Group C, it's worth a reminder that Senegal got their campaign off to a perfect start earlier today with a ruthless 3-0 win over Gambia. Cameroon and Guinea will both fancy their chances of snatching the other automatic qualification spot alongside Sadio Mane and co.
30 minutes until kickoff: There's never a dull moment where Andre Onana and Cameroon international duty is concerned, is there? This latest episode is rather ironic considering Onana had to go some way to build a bridge with Rigobert Song, after their falling-out at the 2022 World Cup.
Song explained his decision to bring the United goalkeeper back into the squad: "It all depended on him. He knew what he had to do. If he's on the list, it's because he did the right thing. He's one of the best goalkeepers, the door was always open. There was never a problem with Andre. Today, we are satisfied that he is reunited with the group."
Here's the full story on that Cameroon spat.
TEAM NEWS: The teams are in and the headline news is that there's no Andre Onana for Cameroon. Vincent Aboubakar is also missing. Naby Keita is only on the bench for Guinea. Here are your official graphics.
1 hour, 10 mins until kickoff: We'll bring you the official team news soon, but it seems there will be no Vincent Aboubakar for Cameroon, with boss Rigobert Song dealt a major blow with news of the striker's injury on the eve of this match.
At his pre-match press conference, Song said: "The absence of Aboubakar is a loss because he is a leader and has shown his ability for years. The other players are ready.”
1 hour, 30 mins until kickoff: It's been a mixed start for some of the big-hitting nations in this AFCON. Nigeria had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in their opening game, while Egypt needed a 97th minute Mo Salah goal to salvage a point of their own against Mozambique. With Ghana beaten by Cape Verde, it's only been the Ivory Coast – who began their campaign as hosts with a routine 2-0 win – and Senegal who have started strongly from the big names. Senegal are 2-0 up on Gambia at the moment and cruising.
Which camp will Cameroon join, the underwhelmers or the undeniables?
2 hours prior to kickoff: Andre Onana took a private jet to be in the Ivory Coast in time for this match. Will he start the game?
Cameroon vs Guinea confirmed lineups, team news
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana does not start after joining up late with Song's squad. Napoli star Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa is the standout name in midfield with captain Vincent Aboubakar ruled out of the attack.
Former Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita is only on the Guinea bench, with Bundesliga hotshot Serhou Guirassy absent completely. The VfB Stuttgart striker was expected to be be one to watch at the tournament amid growing transfer links to Manchester United after scoring 17 Bundesliga goals so far this season.
Cameroon (4-2-3-1, right to left): Ondoa; Castelletto, Wooh, Moukoudi, Yongwa, Ntcham, Kemen, Zambo-Anguissa; Magri, Toko Ekambi; Nkoudou
Subs: Ngamaleu, Tolo, N'Jie, Ateba, Tchamadeu, Gonzalez, Epassy, Neyou, Moumbagna, Elliott, Ngapandouetnbu, Tchato
Guinea (4-3-3 right to left): Kone; Antoine Conte, Jeanvier, Diakhaby, Sekou Sylla; Moriba, Konate, Guilavogui; Camara, Kamano, Bayo
Subs: A.Keita, I.Sylla, Sow, N. Keita, Diakite, K.Cisse, S.Cisse, M.Camara, Kante, F.Conte
Cameroon vs Guinea live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch this AFCON 2024 match across selected areas of the world's major regions:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | — | Fubo, BeIN Sports Connect, Fanatiz |
| Canada | — |
BeIN Sports Connect, Fanatiz, Fubo Canada |
| UK | Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports Main Event | Sky GO, Now TV |
| Australia | BeIN Sports 1 | BeIN Sports Connect |
| India | — | FanCode |