Final score: Cameroon 2-1 Algeria

Cameroon are through to the semi-final of the African Cup of Nations after a close fought 2-1 victory over Algeria.

Despite a late comeback from the North African side a fast-paced performance saw Cameroon easily dominate much of the match taking a comfortable 2-0 lead by halftime.

Goals by star striker Samuel Eto'o in the seventh minute and West Ham mid-fielder Marc-Vivien Foe in the 21st appeared to seal the Lion's position as favourites to win the match.

And though Algeria hit back through Abdelhafid Tasfaout ten minutes from time, Cameroon had the guile to hold out.

At times however the Cameroonian aggression looked like it might spell trouble for the team and captain Rigobert Song was lucky to avoid a caution after a poorly judged tackle left Algerian Abdelaziz Benhamlat nursing a bloodied leg.

Fighting back

The second half produced a strong show from Cameroon, but a tighter performance from the Algerians and the Lions' unwillingness to take risks initially took the pace of the match down a notch or two.

Comfortably in the driving seat the Lions, seeking a third tournament title, appeared content to sit back for the rest of the game.

Not so the Algerians who began the second half with a greater sense of purpose, steadily upping the tempo.

With just over 10 minutes remaining a goal from No 10 Tasfaout briefly revived Algerian hopes after a relatively lacklustre first half performance.

His header found the back of the net and made for a tense final act of the game as the Desert Warriors fought hard to equalise, right down to the final whistle.

Tasfout appeared set to do just that in the closing moments but failed to connect with a cross from former Spurs player, Moussa Saib.

In the end Cameroon survived, with a performance reminiscent of earlier World Cup glories and promising to put up a tough challenge for either Tunisia or defending champions Egypt

The two North African teams meet for their quarter final match in Lagos on Monday.

Teams:

Cameroon - 1-Boukar Alioum; 4-Rigobert Song, 5-Raymond Kalla, 6-Pierre Njanka; 17-Marc-Vivien Foe, 8-Geremi Fotso Njitap, 12-Laurent Mayer, 20-Salomon Olembe, 7-Bernard Tchoutang; 10-Patrick Mboma, 9-Samuel Eto'o

Algeria - 1-Abdesslam Benabdellah; 2-Maamar Mamouni, 3-Abdelaziz Benhamlet, 4-Rezki Amrouche; 7-Nasreddine Kraouche, 8-Billel Dziri, 10-Abdelhafid Tasfaout, 18-Moussa Saib, 20-Mahieddine Meftah; 9-Farid Ghazi, 11-Fawzi Moussouni