David Pagou, coach of Cameroon during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON match between Mozambique and Cameroon at the Adrar Stadium, Agadir on the 31 December 2025 ©Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
Thursday Jan 01, 2026. 15:00
Cameroon head coach David Pagou said his side got the job done after a hard fought comeback against Mozambique to secure a 2-1 win at the Stade Adrar in Agadir on Wednesday.
The Indomitable Lions finished the 2025 AFCON group stage with seven points, equal to group winners Ivory Coast, who edged them on goal difference.
They found themselves down after 23 minutes against Mozambique, with Geny Catamo finding the back of the net for the Mambas.
However, Cameroon drew level five minutes later from an own goal for the mambas.
Christian Kofane netted the only goal of the second half in the 55th minute to hand the Indomitable Lions the lead.
Although it wasn’t pretty, Pagou says his side did what they needed to do.
“Our goal was to win the match and we could have scored more goals,” Pagou said after the match.
“We created many chances but unfortunately, we lacked concentration in the final touch.”
“In the end, we qualified for the Round of 16 and that’s the most important thing,” he added.
Cameroon will face South Africa, who finished third at the last edition, in the round of 16.
Pagou believes that Bafana Bafana will provide a tough test for his players.
“We know South Africa are strong and stubborn opponents,” Pagou said.
“They have a competitive domestic league and players who know each other very well so the match will be complicated.”
“We will play to our strengths and try to make things difficult for them. The goal is to show up strongly and deliver a good performance.”
The two sides will meet at the Agdal Medina Stadium in Rabat.