Toko Ekambi: We want to write our own history

Man of the Match Karl Toko Ekambi of Cameroon during the post match press conference after the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Afcon Finals Quaterfinal match between Gambia and Cameroon at Japoma Stadium in Douala, Cameroon on 29 January 2022 ©Shaun Roy/BackpagePix

by Staff Reporter

Sunday Jan 30, 2022. 09:56

Cameroon match-winner Karl Toko Ekambi has expressed pride in the team for the determination they showed to beat Gambia 2-0 in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals on Saturday.

The Scorpions, who were making their debut at the tournament, held out until the 50th minute when Toko Ekambi finally broke the deadlock at the Japoma Stadium.

The Lyon forward struck again seven minutes later to put the Indomitable Lions firmly in control of their destiny as they secured a place in the semi-finals as hosts.

The five-time African champions came up just short the last time they staged the showpiece event back in 1972, having bowed out in the last-four.

However, Toko Ekambi insists the squad are looking to make their mark by putting things right this time around and lifting the trophy on home soil.

“I’m proud of the performance of the team tonight, Gambia are a difficult team to play but we never gave up even when we struggled in first half. We kept working and we got the crack,” he said in the post-match press conference.

“It’s good, everyone has a role to play in this team, in 2017, I played a lot less, it’s not the case today, it’s the victory at the end that is the most important.

“We are a family, the group lives well. The group prefers to focus on the present, this competition and not focus on the past with what happened in 1972, we want to write our own history.”