Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba converted the winning penalty in a marathon shootout today to give his side a place in the African Nations Cup semi-finals as they edged Cameroon 12-11 after the match finished 1-1.
Drogba's penalty meant Ivory Coast added further misery on to Cameroon after they had also edged out the Indomitable Lions in World Cup qualifying.
The Chelsea striker's joy was in stark contrast to Samuel Eto'o who had ballooned his kick over the top of the crossbar with the shootout deadlocked at 11-11.
A dull match had briefly been lit up in the first few minutes of extra-time as first Bakari Kone put the Ivory Coast ahead and then Albert Meyong levelled a few minutes later.
Ivory Coast made the early running with Drogba much more involved than Eto'o, who had been unceremoniously dumped on the ground by an early crunching tackle.
It was only some stout defending by veteran captain Rigobert Song that stopped Ivory Coast from threatening the Cameroon goal, while Drogba's first effort was a misdirected header in the eighth minute.
That aside it was a turgid opening and it wasn't till the 25th minute that the drumbeat around the stadium was upped as Drogba benefited from Jean II Makoun's error.
But he had his momentum checked by 'keeper Hamidou Souleymanou, before the ball rebounded to him but with the goal gaping he fired wide.
Drogba turned creator five minutes later.
After Eto'o had been dispossessed, the Chelsea star's slide rule pass find Arouna Kone in the penalty area but his first touch let him down and Souleymmanou was able to gather.
Eto'o finally had a chance to increase his tally to six in the tournament a minute later but he sent a free header straight into Jean-Jacques Tizie's hands.
Eto'o was being clattered at every opportunity but he at last received some protection from the referee when Kolo Toure was booked for another foul.
However Eto'o was definitely affected by the Ivory Coast's physical approach.
In the 35th minute he was found by a pass from Salomon Olembe but his point blank effort was blocked by Tizie with the ball rebounding onto Kolo Toure's head. Fortunately for the Arsenal defender it came back off the bar.
The second-half started in the same stuttering fashion and was only enlivened in the 55th minute with a thumping header by Song which went over the bar.
Drogba then found himself free a minute later but his shot was always rising over the bar.
The rest of the half was even worse than the first period as each side fouled regularly and chances were few and far between.
Indeed it wasn't until the 89th minute that the crowd had something else to cheer as Kolo Toure let fly with a fierce freekick which went over the bar.
Cameroon almost put the crowd out of their misery and won it at the death but Tizie produced an athletic one handed save to deny Thimothee Atouba's rasping long range effort.
There was more excitement in the first two minutes of extra-time than the whole match as Emmanuel Eboue's power drive came back off the bar and Kone was on hand on the edge of the area to rifle it home.
Geremi then rattled the bar to shake the Ivorians and a minute later they were back on level terms as Makoun's header found Eto'o, but although he lost control it fell into the path of Meyong and he made no mistake.
