time champion Cameroon revived its hopes of reaching the quarterfinals at the African Cup of Nations by beating Zambia 3-2 on Sunday while Gabon played out a scoreless draw against Tunisia. Cameroon moved second in Group D with three points, one behind Gabon and will advance with a win over Tunisia in the final group game. “It was a very difficult game for us,” conceded Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen. “The players gave the response we needed. I still believe we can move to the next round.” After making an error that led to his team's opening loss to Gabon, veteran defender Rigobert Song blundered again to gift Zambia the opening goal. In the eighth minute, Song attempted to clear the ball but ended up directing his header toward his own goal and keeper Carlos Kameni could only parry it away, allowing Jacob Mulenga to convert the rebound. But Geremi Njitap equalized with an angled shot in the 68th and Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto'o added another from close range four minutes later. Zambia captain Christopher Katongo leveled the score again from the penalty spot eight minutes from time after Cameroon goalkeeper Carlos Kameni had fouled Mulenga in the area. Substitute Mohamadou Idrissou netted the winner with a looping header four minutes later to give Cameroon the win. “We have no option but to beat Gabon,” Zambia coach Herve Renard said. “We played a good game, especially in the first half. It gives us confidence.” Earlier Sunday, Gabon missed a chance to secure qualification for the knockout-phase with a 0-0 draw against Tunisia. “It's a pity we dropped some points against Gabon,” Tunisia midfielder Chaouki Ben Saada said. “We are not afraid of Cameroon. We believe in our ability. I am sure we can get the result we want.” Gabon wasted a handful of scoring opprtunities and failed to build on the momentum of its opening 1-0 win over Cameroon. The team will now have to wait until its last group game against Zambia to know its fate. “I was really pleased with my team's performance in difficult conditions with this rain,” Gabon coach Alain Giresse said. “It was difficult to control the ball.” Assistant coach Sami Trabelsi said he was happy with Tunisia's game. “It was a good performance from my team,” Trabelsi said. “What we need to do is to get a win in the final game.” __
