ACCRA (AFP) - Cameroon are only one step away from a record-equalling fifth African Nations Cup title after wrecking Ghana's party with a 1-0 semi-final win over the hosts here on Thursday.

The winners in 1984, 1988, 2000 and 2002 came through a tense affair in Accra with Alain Nkong's second-half strike breaking the deadlock and firing Cameroon into Sunday's final.

Cameroon will play Egypt in the final match after the Egyptians defeated the Ivory Coast 4-1.

But they will go into the final missing Andre Bikey, the Reading defender picking up a red card after a bizarre 90th-minute push on a medic who was on the field attending to a goalkeeper Kameni.

Cameroon coach Otto Ofister, seeking his first title at the ripe old age of 70, said: "Getting through to the final isn't important for me, it's important to the president of Cameroon and his people.

"It's one of the highlights of my career, but remember I won the world title with Ghana's youth team, and African club titles too, and led Ghana to the Nations Cup final."

The straight-talking German has been a vociferous critic of the organisation in Ghana, prompting him to say: "There are lots of problems, we're in Africa, not at Real Madrid or Arsenal or Bayern Munich. Mentally it makes the group stronger."

Match winner Nkong, appearing in only his second international, suggested Cameroon's opening 4-2 defeat to Egypt spurred the Indomitable Lions to the final.

"In the end it was our mental strength that got us through. We were criticized so much after the first match. Every match has been a final for us since then," said the player who spent eight years in the international wilderness.

Ghana manager Claude Le Roy described the loss as "a huge, huge disappointment".

The Frenchman said: "I've been sad sometimes in my career but nothing like today. We were set to play in the final and win it, now all we have to look forward to is the third-place play-off. I'm sorry for the fans."

Le Roy bemoaned a series of knocks the Ghana camp suffered in the run-up to the match.

"This game was very difficult to prepare for. I had John Mensah out suspended, then yesterday Asamoah Gyan said he couldn't play, then 15 minutes before kick-off Laryea Kingston gets injured."

Michael Essien inherited Mensah's captain's armband while Haminu Draman filled in for the Rennes defender with le Roy summoning Andre Ayew, the son of Ghana legend Abedi Pele, as a last-minute replacement for Kingston.

Pfister made one change from Monday's extra time quarter-final win over Tunisia, midfielder Jean Makoun making way for Joseph Desire Job who joined Eto'o and Mohamadou Idrissou in a three-pronged attack.

The locals' PSV Eindhoven midfielder Eric Addo had the crowd groaning when missing a gilt-edged close range header from a Sulley Muntari free kick at an unattended far post on one of Ghana's early assaults on Carlos Kameni's goal.

Cameroon went close to taking control seven minutes from the break when Newcastle midfielder Geremi fired off a 35-yard freekick which sailed over the Ghanaian defence only to hit the crossbar.

That was one of the few high points in a scrappy tense first period as both sides displayed nerves but Ayew could have poached the lead for Ghana on the whistle only for his header to go high.

Ghana began to put some free flowing moves together and looked the more likely to score with Muntari teaming up well with Essien at one point only for the Chelsea star's shot to fly high.

On the hour mark Pfister introduced Nkong for Job and his ploy paid almost immediate dividends when the Mexico-based player sent Cameroon into the lead against the run of play in the 71st minute.

After a long clearance out of defence Eto'o set up the midfielder to fire home from 15 yards to beat Ghana keeper Richard Kingson and silence the home fans.

Ghana were almost back level with ten minutes left when Junior Agogo's head connected with a Muntari free kick only for the Nottingham Forest striker's effort to edge the wrong side of the cross bar.