Bafana started the tie on the front foot, but it was Junior Tchamadeu, who opened the scoring for Cameroon at the Agdal Medina Stadium, against the run of play, on 34 minutes.

Bafana Bafana's woes were compounded when Christian Kofane netted just two minutes into the second half, and they only managed to pull one goal back, after 88 minutes, through substitute striker Evidence Makgopa.

An Oswin Appollis free-kick so nearly set Bafana up for an early opener, but despite making a good connection, Lyle Foster directed his header just over Devis Epassy in the Cameroon goal.

Foster was then superbly played in on goal down the left flank by Bathusi Aubaas but he couldn't keep the ball in play.

Bafana had started the better of the two teams, and Relebohile Mofokeng was next in with a chance, after an excellent crossfield pass from Teboho Mokoena, but the youngster fired just over the target.

There was a nervy moment for Bafana at the other end as Darlin Yongwa wriggled free on the left flank, only to cut back his cross straight to a Bafana defender.

South Africa continued to spray the ball around and Foster was in again on the 15 minute mark, and this time took his chance well to bury the ball in the back of the net - before being called up for offsides.

Epassy then had to be alert to race off his line and dive at the feet of Foster after the striker was played in again, this time by Mofokeng.

Cameroon started to come alive around the 20 minute mark and were seeing far more of the ball in attacking areas. Bryan Mbuema was wayward with a set-piece from deep - before a much better delivery from a similar angle 10 minutes later, that needed to be headed out at the back post.

And it was from the resultant set-piece that Cameroon took their lead, as a long-range shot from Carlos Baleba fell kindly to an awaiting Junior Tchamadeu to fire in from close range.

Cameroon had a chance for a quickfire double but Danny Namaso was unable to get any power to a whipped-in Danny Namaso free-kick.

Namaso then vollied over Ronwen Williams in the Bafana goal as Cameroon continued to impose themselves against a seemingly shell-shocked South Africa, who would have been disappointed to end the half trailing after a really strong start to the tie.

But it only got worse after the break as Kofane doubled Cameroon's lead just two minutes after the restart with a powerful header across goal from an excellent Mbeumo delivery that left Williams with no chance.

Mofokeng got his head to a deep Appollis cross as Bafana looked for a way back into this tie but he failed to make any real connection.

Appollis then had a shot blocked from the edge of the area after some good build-up play before Samukelo Kabini forced Epassy into a point-blank save as the ball dropped to him at the back post from a Mokoena cross from the right.

Bafana introduced Evidence Makgopa and Aubrey Modiba for Appollis and Kabini as head coach Hugo Broos rang the changes.

Mokoena was unble to beat Epassy from a 69th minute setpiece with time running out for Bafana, while Williams kept his team in the game with a brilliant save from Arthur Ebong after a storming run the length of the pitch from Mbuemoo set up the chance.

Sipho Mbule replaced Mofokeng with 15 minutes of the match remaining, while Kofane should have wrapped up the result after latching on to another good ball from Mbuemo but he could only smash his shot into the stands.

Khuliso Mudau then wasted a glorious chance to pull a goal back inside the last ten minutes as a Modipa cross found its way through to the player at the back post, but he got his bearings all wrong and skewed the ball out of play.

Bafana threw everything forward for the final few moments and finally found the back of the net, after 87 minutes, as Makgopa neatly tapped home a cross from fellow substitute Modiba at the back post.

But ultimately it was a case of missed opportunities for Bafana, who started the stronger of the two sides, only to waste a number of chances and ultimately let their opponents get the better of them.

Cameroon will now face hosts Morocco in the quarter-finals after the AFCON hosts beat Tanzania 1-0 in their last 16 clash on Sunday.

Bernardo Silva misses former Man City team-mate Julian Alvarez