New Delhi: Ouday Abduljaffal turned out to be Syria's man on Monday as his crucial strike helped the west Asian nation hold Cameroon to a 2-2 draw and stay alive in the Nehru Cup football tournament here.
Trailing 1-2, Abduljaffal struck the all-important goal in the 79th minute, putting to rest Cameroon's hope of starting the tournament with a win at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.
Alaa Alshbbli scored the other goal for Syria, his second in the tournament -- in the 42nd minute, while Kingue Mpondo and Ebanga Bertin found the net for Cameroon in the 17th and 55th minute respectively.
Mpondo put the African nation ahead when his power-packed header off a Bertin corner crashed into the back of the net. Alshbbli cancelled out Cameroon's lead with an equally impressive header off Abduljaffal's free-kick as the two teams went into the break with the score locked at 1-1.
Even as Alshbbli breathed life into Syria's game, their joy was short-lived as Bertin slammed one home from the spot eight minutes into the second half, which helped Cameroon regain the lead.
However, things took a turn for the better for Syria midway into the second half as Abduljaffal scored with a rasping right-footer, giving no chance whatsoever to Cameroon goalkeeper Ngome N Lawrence.
In their quest for an equaliser, Syria went all out after conceding the lead for the second time in the match, and they were rewarded when Abduljaffal found the net.
Even as Cameroon coach Emmanuel Ndoumbe made a few quick changes, his Syrian counterpart preferred not to tinker the combination too much, and it worked for his side.
The start was bright for Syria as they created a couple of chances, only to fluff them through poor striking. But Cameroon scored the only they got a look-in at the goal, through a a header that had power written all over it.
While Cameroon had the lead, the Syrians continued to enjoy possession. The second half panned out pretty much the same way as Camerron took the lead through Bertin's strike, only to allow Syria make another comeback.
Cameroon should thank the Syrian goalkeeper Mosab Balhouse, who is also the captain of the side, for their second goal, as it was due to his unnecessary trip on Kologny Vigny Merime that resulted in the penalty.
Syria, in fact, could have earned full points from the match had it not been for indiscretion on part of their strikers who fluffed on a few occasions.
Syria lost to India 2-1 in the tournament opener on Thursday, but staged a dramatic fightback to stay in the hunt. Syria assistant coach Anas Makhlouh said, "Our team did really well. We missed a lot of chances."
About the spot kick he said, "I don't know about the penalty. I though our goalie got the ball." Cameroon coach Emmanuel Bosso said, "The pitch was not favourable. Even the pitch in Cameroon is not that bad."
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