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The East Africans needed a late penalty to confirm their place in the knockout phase after a close battle with the hosts.
Etienne Eto’o scored two goals in Cameroon’s tie against Mozambique 4-1 in the U-20 African Cup of Nations group tie on Saturday in Nouakchott.
The defeat saw Mozambique, making their debut in the tournament, finish at the bottom of Group A while Cameroon, who had already qualified for the quarterfinals, remained at the top.
Two goals in the first half from Eto’o, son of Cameroonian legend Samuel Eto’o, condemned Mozambique, who conceded two more goals in the second half.
Eto’o scored with a precise eighth-minute free kick before converting a penalty just before the half-time break to give his team a 2-0 lead at half-time.
It was Eto’o’s time to become a supplier when he squared the ball for Kevin-Prince Mila, who scored the third for the Young Lions shortly after the break.
Mozambique’s Gianluca Lorenzoni scored five minutes from time with a free kick to prevent Cameroon from a clean sheet.
After conceding, they quickly reorganized and scored the fourth through Abdoulaye Yahya to end group games with a great victory.
Meanwhile, Uganda qualified for the knockout phase after a close 2-1 victory over Mauritania in Nouakchott.
Both teams needed a victory to secure a place in the next phase of the competition, but it is Cecafa’s team that earned a place after a tight match.
The hosts opened the scoring in the first half when Silly Sanghare scored from a penalty before the Hippos tied at the hour mark.
Derrick Kaooza scored the winning goal for the East Africans in the second half to seal a spot in the knockout stage.
Uganda was unable to seize the chances in the opening moments and was left behind when Aziz Kayondo dropped Oumar Mbareck with eight minutes to go in the first half.
Uganda needed 15 minutes to equalize in the second half after a fine play from the right wing by Steven Sserwada, whose shot found the bottom right corner.
Morley Byekwaso’s side won a penalty in the 88th minute after a Mauritanian handled the ball while trying to clear a Ugandan corner. Kakooza successfully converted to send them to the next round of the youth tournament.
