Progress to the semifinals of the Africa Cup of Nations finals for the home team added some shine to Cameroon’s troubled tournament, overshadowed by the death of eight people in a crowd crush last week.

Cameroon beat Gambia 2-0 in the first of the weekend’s quarterfinals on Saturday in front of a boisterous crowd in Douala to move into the final four and temper the impact of the disaster.

The deaths last Monday at Yaounde’s Olembe Stadium cast a dark cloud over the tournament, which has been beset by a host of other problems. The deadly crush took place as spectators attempted to enter the stadium...