Cameroon opened the door for Libya, Cape Verde or Angola to take control of their 2026 World Cup qualifying group following a shock 0-0 draw in Eswatini on Wednesday night.
The Group D pacesetters, boasting seasoned campaigners such as Vincent Aboubakar and Bryan Mbuemo in the forward line, went into the game against the pool makeweights as favourites to dispatch them to a fifth consecutive defeat.
But the hosts soaked up the pressure to blunt an attack that had notched up nine goals in its previous four matches.
The result at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit provided Eswatini with their first point of the campaign and left Cameroon on 9 points.
Cape Verde will go top on Thursday afternoon with victory over Mauritius. Libya can leapfrog Cape Verde if they see off Angola on Thursday night.
Cameroon's stutter confirmed the analysis of the South Africa coach Hugo Broos during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d'Ivoire.
"This tournament has shown us that the so-called little countries have made a lot of progression," said the Belgian just before his team beat Democratic Republic of Congo to take third place.
Progress
Cote d'Ivoire, who ultimately claimed the 2023 Cup of Nations crown, could go into Friday's clash in Burundi in second place in Group F should Gabon take all three points from their home game against Seychelles who have lost all four of their matches.
During the 2023 Cup of Nations, the Ivorians recovered from a chaotic start to grind their way to the final and beat Nigeria.
"It's an obligation for us and we must not fall short."
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