Borris Enow's 63rd-minute strike was enough to hand Cameroon a second consecutive victory over East African rivals Kenya in Kampala, Uganda on Monday.
Harambee Stars looked more lethal at Mandela National Stadium in contrast to the shoddy work they did in Douala last Friday, where they suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat.
Head coach Engin Firat tinkered and rejigged the lineup while shuffling players and swapping them in positions. Skipper Michael Olunga was named in the 4 pm clash after returning from a two-match break owing to injuries. He entered into an upfront partnership with John Avire.
Avire made an outstanding cameo against Cameroon last Friday and started and scored against Namibia in the qualifiers' second round last month.
The Turkish gaffer made another alteration to the Yaounde team, benching Patrick Matasi in favour of Bryne Omondi in goal. In the 4-1 loss to the Indomitable Lions, Matasi committed two mistakes that infuriated the supporters who had been pleading with Firat to bench him.
Following the win, Cameroon took command at the summit of the Group 'J' log with 10 points, five above second-placed Zimbabwe. Kenya are third with four while Namibia are at the tail end without points.
Sports CS urged the team to take heart as the journey is far from over.
"HarambeeStars, we may have fallen 1-0 to Cameroon today, but our AFCON journey is far from over. There are many positives we can take from this match for our next game. With 1 win, 1 draw, and 2 losses, there’s still much to fight for. On to the next tie in November, unbowed. Great effort here, guys," Murkomen wrote on X.