Cameroon Beats Spain for Gold in Soccer
(Sydney, Australia-AP) -- The Olympic men's soccer final went to a
shootout,
where Cameroon clinched the gold medal.
The Indomitable Lions came back from a 2-to-0 deficit with the help of
an
own goal to tie the score at 2-all by the end of regulation. Cameroon
dominated the 30-minute overtime but couldn't get the ball in the net.
Then Pierre Wome scored the clinching penalty kick that as Cameroon
outscored Spain 5-to-3 in the shootout.
The final was played before some 100-thousand fans at the main stadium
of
the Sydney Games.
Copyright 1999 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material
may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
===========================
Africa strike soccer gold again
By Robert Mahoney
SYDNEY, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Africa again struck soccer gold at the
Olympics
on Saturday with Cameroon toppling Spain 5-3 on penalties in a
nail-biting
final to win the title.
It was the first gold medal in any Olympic sport for the West African
nation
who came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Spain who had two men
sent
off.
The match, a highlight of the penultimate day of competition at the
Games,
went to a penalty shoot-out after 30 minutes of extra time in the
searing
afternoon sun failed to separate the sides.
Patrick Wome gave Cameroon victory after Spain's Amaya, who had
conceded an
own goal in the second half, hit the bar with his penalty.
The victory gives Cameroon the double of being African and Olympic
champions
in the same year. They now stand with neighbours Nigeria who became the
first African side to win a global soccer title four years ago in
Atlanta.
BACK FROM THE DEAD
Cameroon looked dead at the end of the first half trailing 2-0 to goals
from
Xavi (2nd) and substitute Gabri (45th).
Spain's fifth minute penalty miss when Angulo's weak spot kick was
easily
saved by 16-year-old keeper Carlos Idriss Kameni was to prove costly
for
Spain, chasing their second Olympic soccer gold in eight years.
Cameroon struck back with two goals in five minutes early in the second
half, the first an own goal off defender Amaya (53rd) and the second
from
Samuel Eto'o (58th).
The game was a thrilling spectacle for the 98,000 people in Stadium
Australia where athletics will retake the limelight later on Saturday
=============================
Cameroon defeats Spain in penalty kicks for gold medal
September 30, 2000
By Sandy Zinn SportsTicker Senior Editor
SYDNEY, Australia (Ticker) -- The cardiac kids from Cameroon did it
again
tonight, defeating Spain in penalty kicks for their first Olympic gold
medal.
Cameroon rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie it at 2-2 in the second
half
before defeating the shorthanded Spaniards, 5-3, in penalty kicks.
Spain scored an own goal in the 54th minute before Samuel Fils Eto'o
tied it
five minutes later as Cameroon rallied in the second half for the
second
straight time in the medal round.
Cameroon scored on its first three penalty kicks before Spain's Amaya
left
open the door by sailing his shot over 16-year-old goalkeeper Idriss
Carlos
Kameni and off the crossbar.
The next two players easily converted their kicks, giving Pierre Wome a
chance to win it. He did, left-footing the ball past a diving Aranzubia
and
inside the left goalpost.
Cameroon claimed its first Olympic gold medal in soccer in its first
trip
beyond the first round of the under-23 tournament.
The Africans advanced to the gold medal game with a 2-1 victory over
Chile,
tying it in the 85th minute and winning it on a penalty kick in the
90th
minute.
They also used a 114th-minute goal from Modeste Mbami to defeat Brazil,
2-1,
and advance to the medal round.
Chile defeated the United States, 2-0, in Friday's bronze medal game.
updated at Fri Sep 29 22:08:23 2000 PT
=============================
Cameroon win soccer title and first ever gold
By Mike Collett
gold medal in any Olympic sport on Saturday when they came from two
goals
down to draw 2-2 with nine-man Spain and then beat them 5-3 on
penalties in
a remarkable soccer final.
The decisive penalty was scored by Patrick Wome. It clinched victory
for
Cameroon after Amaya, who had conceded an own goal in the second half,
hit
the bar with his penalty.
Cameroon now has the double distinction of being African and Olympic
champions in the same year.
They have also emulated Nigeria, the first African side to win a global
soccer title when they took gold in 1996 at the Atlanta Olympics.
In Stadium Australia on Saturday Cameroon staged a stunning recovery
after
looking dead and buried at half-time when they trailed 2-0 to goals
from
Xavi (2nd) and substitute Gabri (45th).
However Spain's fifth-minute penalty miss when Angulo's weak spot kick
was
easily saved by 16-year-old keeper Carlos Idriss Kameni was to prove
costly
for the Spaniards, chasing their second Olympic soccer gold in eight
years.
Cameroon struck back with two goals in five minutes early in the second
half -- the first an own goal off defender Amaya (53rd) and the second
from
Samuel Eto'o (58th).
They were then denied what would have been a sensational winner in the
last
few seconds of extra time when Eto'o was ruled to be inches offside
before
scoring what looked like being the golden goal decider.
After dominating the first half everything began to go wrong for Spain
after
the break. Gabri was sent off after 70 minutes for a bad tackle on
Nicolas
Alnoudji and Jose Mari was red-carded in the 90th minute for feigning
an
injury for the second time.
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