Four die in clashes after Cameroon African Cup of Nations qualifier

Cameroonian authorities say four people were killed in clashes between fans and troops after Cameroon drew 0-0 with Senegal in an African Cup of Nations qualifier that dented the team's chances of reaching next year's tournament.

A coastguard official told The Associated Press on Monday that the clashes on Saturday between angry fans and government troops also wounded several people in the West African nation.

He did not say how many people were wounded or whether those killed were civilians or soldiers. The official asked for anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the report.

Cameroon captain Samuel Eto'o missed a last-minute penalty to leave the four-time African champion in third place in the four-team Group E.

Police used water cannons to disperse disgruntled home fans after they blocked Cameroon's team bus from leaving Yaounde's Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium for over an hour following the game, with the supporters blaming Eto'o for the team's problems.

The Inter Milan forward has apologized for three days in a row on state radio.

"I must say thank you to the public which has supported us from the beginning to the end," he said. "I've missed a penalty. I'm responsible for the loss. I kindly beg for your excuse. This is the only penalty I've missed throughout this season."

Eto'o hit the crossbar with his injury-time spot-kick, denying Cameroon what would have been a precious victory.

Cameroon is five points behind group leader Senegal and an automatic place at the tournament, with two games left.

Monaco striker Benjamin Moukandjo also missed some clear chances for Cameroon, which controlled the last 30 minutes but couldn't break through.

Cameroon now has to win both its final qualifiers — against Mauritius and Congo — and hope other results go its way to win an automatic place at the finals. It is also well behind in the race for one of the two best second-place spots in the 11-group qualifying competition.