Nkoulou salvages point for Cameroon

Bafana Bafana missed the chance to secure three points in Limbe as they drew 2-2 against Cameroon in their Group M 2017 AFCON qualifying fixture.

Cameroon 2 South Africa 2

Rantie opens scoring

Siani brings home side level

Kekana scores wonder goal

Nkoulou grabs equaliser

Match Summary

The game will be remembered by a 55-yard wonder strike from midfielder Hlompho Kekana but that wasn't enough as South Africa's hopes of qualifying for AFCON 2017 in Gabon look to be in tatters.

In Hugo Broos first assignment with the Cameroon national team his side looked second best for most of the fixture despite having a capacity home crowd behind them at the Omnisports Stadium.

Full Report

Tokelo Rantie scored his 10th international goal for Bafana as early as the 16th minute to break the deadlock when the Bournemouth forward received a through ball from Andile Jali, beating the off-side trap - before easily rounding the Cameroon keeper Guy N'dy Assembé and tapping the ball into an empty net.

Bafana's high pressing tactics within their attacking 4-4-2 formation gave the home side plenty of headaches and they looked unthreatening wasting a host of set-pieces after going 1-0 behind.

In the 43rd minute of the game Rantie missed a great chance to put Bafana 2-0 ahead. After an excellent one-two with Andile Jali put the forward one-on-one with Assembé with a dinked through ball but the 25-year old struck the shot straight on-rushing Ligue 1 based goalkeeper.

There was trouble for Shakes Mashaba just before half-time as AS Troyes full-back Anele Ngcongca suffered an injury and made way for 19-year old Rivaldo Coetzee.

As Coetzee ran onto the field of play, the Indomitable Lions exploited their advantage with a wonderful strike from range. Andile Jali's club teammate Sébastien Siani found a equaliser as he powerfully struck the ball past a flailing Itumeleng Khune, which was the last action of the first-half.

At half-time Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba decided to bring on Ajax Amsterdam midfielder Thulani Serero for the ineffective Thamsanqa Gabuza as he looked to gain more control of the midfield leaving Rantie alone up-front.

The changes paid immediate dividends when Bafana increased the tempo of the game significantly and started a wave of attacks on the home side who looked in shock.

It wasn't too long when the moment of the game was produced by Sundowns midfielder Kekana through a powerfully struck 55-yard thunderbolt past Assembe who was well off his line to silence the home crowd at put South Africa back into the lead.

South Africa enjoyed a period of dominance after the goal and were clearly buoyed by the influence of Jali and Kekana as their one touch football was just too much for the home side. The game did however turn into an open affair as some end-to-end attacks started from the 70th minute.

Full-backs Allan Nyom and Henri Bedimo both had efforts saved by Khune and with the away side tiring out they started to concede free-kicks in dangerous areas.

Totally against the run of play in the 66th minute, FC Rangers winger Mandla Masango gave a way a silly free-kick on the left-flank and Nicolas Nkoulou made them pay by making 2-2 - a wonderful delivery from Bedimo was expertly headed past a flat-footed Khune to leave Bafana dejected.

Mashaba then hacked off Mpho Makola for William Twala in the last 20-minutes in search for the winner when the home side started to gain ascendency with their set-piece dangers and the Kazier Chiefs winger had some effect on the game with his direct running.

Cameroon boss Hugo Broos quickly nullified Twala's impact by substituting the goal scorer Siani for German-born FC Ingolstadt midfielder Marvin Matip to solidify the midfield - With three minutes added on both sides went in search for that elusive winner; Thulani Hlatswayo was a hero when he acrobatically cleared the ball off the line with Khune well beaten in a set-piece delivery.

In literally the last action of the game Serero had a penalty claim turned down by Ethiopian referee Bamlak Tessema Weyesa with replays suggesting the Ajax midfielder had reason to be aggrieved.

The 2-2 result leaves Bafana in a difficult position to qualify for next years African show piece in Gabon - with two points in three games they trail second place Mauritania by four points and Cameroon hold top spot with seven points in their three fixtures of Group M.