AFCON: Nigeria, Cameroon Go For Broke In Abidjan!
- Relive 1984 memories as quarter-final berth beckons
- It’s Angola vs Namibia at Stade de la Paix in Bouake
BY VICTOR OSOWOCHI – Tonight, Nigeria’s Super Eagles have another difficult match at hand as they take on old foes, the Indomitable Lions Cameroon in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) round of 16 encounter.
Slated for the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, the Ivorian capital, the eagerly anticipated match presents another stern test for the Super Eagles whose goal-scoring form remained suspect all through their three Group A outings.
Despite their shaky and unimpressive stats in the group matches, both countries will surely go for broke today because one of them must exit the tournament at this stage. While Coach Jose Peseiro’s men are hoping to end a decade of no TotalEnergies CAF AFCON trophy, the Lions’ Head Coach, Rigobert Song is under pressure to give Cameroonians a better performance in the knockout stage after struggling in the group stage, where they won just a game.
For sure, one of the football powerhouses will be crashed out tonight in this round of 16. Indeed, as both nations filed out inside the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan, many memories would come flooding back in this iconic arena.
On the mind of many football pundits would be the 1984 AFCON final clash when the Indomitable Lions won their very first trophy in the continental competition beating the Super Eagles by 3-1 who scored the match-opening goal in the 10th minute through late midfield maestro, Mudashiru Lawal.
Unfortunately, the Eagles crumbled like a pack of cards as they fell to goals from René Brice N’Djeya in the 32nd minute, Théophile Abega Mbida in the 79th minute, and Érnest-Lottin Ebongué in the 84th minute.
Post that historic lifting of the title, Cameroon went on to win two finals against Nigeria in Morocco (1988) and Nigeria (2000). However, fast forward, the Super Eagles have dominated the most recent meetings between the two sides. They claimed victory during the quarter-finals in the 2004 edition played in Tunisia as well as the round of 16 win during the 2019 showpiece in Egypt.
A total of eight TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations trophies is spread amongst the two nations: Five for the Indomitable Lions (1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, and 2017) and three for the Super Eagles (1980, 1994, and 2013)
Below Are Comments By Coaches And Players Ahead Of The Match
José Peseiro, Nigeria Coach – “It’s a difficult match. We are in the round of 16 and playing against a great team. We don’t want to concede, we want to score a goal and maintain our lead. We expect that history will not repeat itself at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny. Even if the statistics are not for us, we are going to play. It is a mission that has been entrusted to us and we are going to try to carry it out. We want to win; we want to stay in this tournament until the end”.
Moses Simon, Nigeria Striker – “We feel good. We take the matches one after the other and we hope to do like in the previous matches. In 2019, we played against Cameroon, we know they are strong, and I think today they are better than in 2019 and we also improved as well. We know their weak points and so we will take the match as it comes”.
Rigobert Song, Cameroon Coach – “We know what we need to do and where we need to go. We have prepared and remain focused. We started slowly, moving up gradually. At this stage of the competition, I think there are no more things to look for. In three matches, I no longer have the right to calculate, I have to correct what didn’t work. I will do everything necessary to obtain a positive result”.
Faris Pemi Moumbagna, Cameroon Striker – “We prepared well, and the atmosphere is good in the group. We are going to stay in the same state of mind and continue to give the best of us. We are going to approach this match with 200% effort. We are going to give everything on the pitch like we did against Gambia, we are not going to give up”.
