Odegbami, Lawal Harp on Discipline, Self-belief as Super Eagles Prepare for Indomitable Lions

*Nigeria, Cameroon in another epic battle 40 years after 

Femi Solaja  with agency report

Pride will be at stake when Nigeria and Cameroon go to ‘War’ inside the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny on Saturday. Both teams will be seeking to pick the ticket to the quarterfinals of the 34th Africa Cup of Nations  from this Round of 16 encounter that has rekindled memories of past outings between these arch rivals.

The clash and all the remaining matches  of the AFCON 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire will be aired live and in HD on Sports Premium, Sports Life and Beta Sports channels on StarTimes, as well as StarTimes-ON mobile app.

But two of Nigeria’s football legends, Olusegun Odegbami and Garba Lawal, have insisted that the Super Eagles need to be extremely cautious, stay focused, be disciplined, and have self-belief when they step onto the field against the Indomitable Lions in Abidjan on Saturday.

Both giants of the African game have made a rendezvous at the same Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, following the Lions’ late surge that ensured a 3-2 win over The Gambia in Bouake on Tuesday, and Nigeria’s earlier second-place finish in Group A behind Equatorial Guinea.

Odegbami, a member of Nigeria’s 1980 AFCON-winning squad and former captain of the team, who also played three times against Cameroon in 1975 (friendly game that Nigeria won 1-0), 1978 (All-Africa Games in Algiers that ended 0-0) and 1980 (a friendly game that ended 0-0), said the present crop of Super Eagles can achieve victory the way they did against the Lions at the same stage in Egypt four years ago, but must be extremely diligent and be very clinical with the opportunities that come their way.

“We may say that Cameroon have not pulled up any trees at this tournament, but the way they turned the game around against The Gambia sends a message. They are not to be taken for granted. I watched their game against Guinea and it was a fight-to-finish. We have been creating a lot of opportunities in our games but this time, we have to be clinical.

“Cameroon could prove to be a different proposition from the teams we have played against at this competition. Apart from the rivalry between our two countries, the present generation of Indomitable Lions have a point to prove. They want to be seen in the garbs of the likes of Rigobert Song Bahanang (who is their coach), Samuel Eto’o Fils, Patrick Mboma and Geremi Njitap, and going further back, the likes of Roger Milla, Theophile Abega, Gregoire Mbida and Francois Omam Biyick.”

 Lawal, nicknamed Chindo, played four times against the Lions in 1997 (LG Cup), 2000 (AFCON final), 2003 (LG Cup), and 2004 (AFCON quarter-final). He says that self-belief will go a long way in steering the Eagles past the Lions on Saturday.

“They must go in there believing in themselves to do the job. Self-confidence is a good feeling when approaching a game like this. I see the Super Eagles getting past the Cameroonians if they believe in themselves and keep it tight at the back.”

Nigeria and Cameroon have clashed at the Africa Cup of Nations seven times, with each team winning thrice and one game drawn. Cameroon won the Final matches of the 1984, 1988, and 2000 AFCON tournaments, while the Eagles won the bronze-medal match 2-1 in 1992, defeated then Cup holders Cameroon 2-1 in the 2004 quarter-finals, and won 3-2 in the Round of 16 in Egypt four years ago. Both teams drew 1-1 in the group phase in 1988, Samuel Okwaraji scoring a scorcher after only two minutes in Rabat and Roger Milla equalizing with a header when the Andrew Uwe-led Nigerian defenc thought they had kept him off-side.

As the Eagles returned to training on Wednesday, after resting on Tuesday, the match venue is also getting ready to welcome the two teams. It was on the same turf where both teams battled out the 1984 AFCON final.

On 18th March 1984, Président Félix Houphouët-Boigny declared a public holiday to encourage football fans to troop to the stadium for the final, as public interest in the competition had waned following the group stage elimination of the Elephants. Nigeria got in front after 10 minutes when Muda Lawal toe-poked a deflected pull-out past Joseph Antoine-Bell.

The Lions equalised just before half-time, Stephen Keshi unwittingly diverting the ball into his own net from a free-kick, and they seized the game by the throat in the second half, deploying the experience and exposure from playing three matches unbeaten at the 1982 FIFA World Cup finals in Spain. They won 3-1.

…Alhassan, Ekong Boost for Nigeria, Back to Full Training

Super Eagles have been handed a massive injury boost ahead of Saturday’s AFCON 2023 Round of 16  showdown with Cameroon as midfielder Alhassan Yusuf resumed full team training yesterday.

The Antwerp star suffered a thigh injury in the team’s opening group game against Equatorial Guinea.

According to 

It was initially feared Alhassan will miss the rest of the tournament, but a scan

later showed it was not a major injury

He has been undergoing his recovery and so missed the group games against Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea Bissau.

Also yesterday, Stand-in Captain, William Troost-Ekong is also back to full training after a knee complaint kept him out of the final group game against Guinea Bissau.

In a short video posted on X, formerly Twitter, Ekong explained that he will be back in the team training on Wednesday.

” I’m not out of the tournament; I’m getting better, I am looking to return to training the day after Wednesday (yesterday)”, he said.

Ekong should be back in the team for the round of 16 match against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon on Saturday.

On Saturday, Nigeria tackle the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon for a place in the quarterfinal of the 2023 AFCON.

The epic clash kicks off 9pm and it will be staged at the Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.