CABINDA, Angola - Cameroon came back from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Tunisia and set up a crunch African Cup of Nations quarter-final meeting with Egypt on Monday. Defending champion Egypt had an easy ride to the group phase of the African Cup of Nations, reaching the quarter-finals with three consecutive wins while most of continent's World Cup qualifiers struggled to advance to the knockout stage. Among the eight teams that will play the quarter-finals, six also reached the last eight in Ghana two years ago. In 2008, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Cote dIvoire, Egypt and Angola advanced along with Tunisia and Guinea, who are replaced this year by Zambia and Algeria. The Pharaohs, who have won the competition a record six times, are aiming for an unprecedented treble in Angola after winning the continental title at home in 2006 and then again in Ghana two years ago. Their impressive collective display so far, despite the lack of many key players, has added much credit to their ambitions before an awaited clash with pre-tournament favorite Cameroon in the next round. "We are champions of Africa and will still be that come Jan. 31," Egypt assistant coach Shawky Gharib said. "These are not kind words to say so but this month, we will still be champions of Africa." Egypt, which hasn't played in a World Cup since 1990 and will miss this year's tournament in South Africa, finished first in Group C after convincing wins over second-place Nigeria, Benin and Mozambique. Egypt is the only team with three wins in the group phase. Having extended their unbeaten run in the continental tournament to 16 matches, the Pharaohs will be favorites against a struggling Cameroon side that salvaged a 2-2 draw with Tunisia to go through on goals scored. The Indomitable Lions, showing real difficulties in central defense since the tournament started, twice came from behind to keep alive their hopes of winning the title for a fifth time. Cameroon finished second in Group D behind surprising Zambia, which will face Nigeria in the quarterfinals after the Super Eagles recovered from a shaky start to make it safely through. "This group was a difficult one," said Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen, who was criticized after reshuffling his team to face Tunisia. "We should not take anything away from the teams that played here. That we qualified is worth celebrating. The boys held their own. It is not easy to come back twice against a young and fast team like Tunisia, so the boys should be commended for doing what was necessary to qualify." Although Cameroon didn't meet expectations so far, captain and striker Samuel Eto'o was always a factor and scored two important goals against Zambia and Tunisia. The Inter Milan striker praised Le Guen for his tactical changes, hinting that the former Lyon coach was also experimenting tactical options for the World Cup. "I do not think that the coach underrated Tunisia by giving chances to other players," Eto'o said. "We are 22 here and every one deserves a chance. Do not forget that we also have one eye on the World Cup." Like Cameroon, the other World Cup qualifiers struggled to reach the quarter-finals. Algeria, which is due to play England and the United States in Group C of the World Cup, lost its first match to Malawi 3-0 before recovering to finish second behind host Angola in Group A. The Algerians will have a difficult task against Cote d'Ivoire on Sunday in the quarter-finals in Cabinda. Following Togo's withdrawal from the tournament after the deadly attack on the team bus, the Ivorians were left in a complicated three-team Group B and had no room for mistakes. Vahid Halilhodzic's side had a shaky start with a scoreless draw against Burkina Faso, but then outclassed Ghana to top its group. Ghana, with an inexperienced team whose backbone is formed by members of the under-20 squad which won the World Cup last year, bounced back with a 1-0 win over Burkina Faso. Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien only played 45 minutes in the tournament and returned to England after injuring a knee in training. His teammates are expected to be given a hard time by Angola in the next round after the Black Antelopes went through unbeaten with the help of an attack-minded football and great team cohesion. Ghana midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah, however, believes the Black Stars have the weapons to silence the fervent crowd of Luanda's November 11 Stadium. "When we played against them in the friendly, it was the same atmosphere," Asamoah said. "It had no effect on our play and so will it be this time. In football, supporters don't count. It is the pitch that determines the winner."
