Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions Storm Abidjan Ahead Clash with Eagles
*Injured Aboubakar back in training even as history favours Nigeria to triumph
Duro Ikhazuagbe
Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions who prosecuted their 34th Africa Cup of Nations Group C matches in Yamoussoukro have arrived in Abidjan ahead of their Round of 16 winner-takes-all clash with the Super Eagles on Saturday.
Their Captain, Vincent Aboubakar, who suffered a thigh injury earlier this month and was even feared to miss the AFCON, has returned to training and is available for Coach Rigobert Song to select for Saturday’s epic clash with Nigeria.
The experienced Besiktas striker emerged top scorer with eight goals when he led the Lions to their fifth AFCON triumph in 2017.
Despite Super Eagles not taking all their chances in the three matches they played in the group phase, scoring just one goal and earning another through an own-goal, history favours Nigeria to go all the way to the quarter finals at the expense of their Cameroonian rivals.
In effect, Nigeria and Cameroon have clashed in 17 competitive matches since their first of such matches in the Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah Cup on 8th December 1962, which Nigeria won 3-1.
Of those 17 matches, Cameroon have won only 4 – three of these in the Final matches of the Africa Cup of Nations in 1984, 1988 and 2000. The only other time Cameroon have beaten Nigeria in a competitive match was on 27th August 1989, when Francois Omam Biyick scored the only goal in Yaounde that eliminated Nigeria from the race to the 1990 FIFA World Cup finals in Italy.
Nigeria have won nine of the other 13 matches, including a 2-1 defeat of Cameroon in the bronze medal-match of the 1992 AFCON; a 2-0 triumph in a 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Ibadan; a 3-2 win in Yaounde in a 1970 World Cup qualifier; a 2-1 win in Monastir in a 2004 AFCON quarter-final; a 4-0 win in Uyo in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier and; a 3-2 win in Alexandria in a 2019 AFCON Round of 16 clash.
More than the above, the Super Eagles presently boast the African Player of the Year in Victor Osimhen, and the Super Eagles have more familiarity with the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, where they pipped Guinea Bissau 1-0 on Mondayto make sure of their place in this competition’s Round of 16.
Nigeria have reached the Round of 16 after scooping seven points, unbeaten in their three matches; Cameroon were battered 3-1 by Cup holders Senegal and fought hard to overcome The Gambia in added time to make sure of a place in the knock-out rounds tomorrow.
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.
ROUND OF 16
(Fixtures)
Nigeria v. Cameroon (Sat. 27/1)
Angola v. Namibia (Sat. 27/1)
E’Guinea v. Guinea (Sun. 28/1)
Egypt v. DR Congo (Sun. 28/1)
C’Verde v. Mauritania (Mon. 29/1)
Senegal v. Cote d’Ivoire ( Mon. 29/1)
Mali v. B’Faso ( Tues. 30/1)
Morocco v. S’Africa (Tues 30/1)
