International Football
Cameroon’s Lions Are Not Indomitable
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
When Nigeria hosts Cameroon on Friday in Uyo in a 2018 World Cup qualifiers, it will be the 21st time both teams will be going head-to-head. However in recent time, Nigerian football followers are often jittery in fixtures with Cameroon.
Sports Village Square can confirm that past results swayed greatly in favour of Nigeria. Last Sunday marked 26 years since Cameroon ever beat Nigeria in regulation time. It was a World Cup qualifying match for Italia’ 90 – a tie in which Nigeria needed just a draw to advance to the last straight knock-out qualifying duel.
But the Super Eagles are still being haunted by the sad loss through penalty shootout of the final match of the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations when scores at regulation time and extra time stood at 2-2. Until about a decade ago, Nigeria-Cameroon fixture was almost like a recurring decimal.
But in spite of the intimidating stature of the Indomitable Lions, results have always been in Nigeria’s favour. In 20 matches, Nigeria won 12 times as against three clear victories by Cameroon. The remaining five were drawn – including the February 13, 2000 Africa Cup final in which penalty kicks were used as tie-breaker.
Not only that, Nigeria had beaten Cameroon in Yaounde three times in the past including the occasion when the massive Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium was opened on February 13, 1972 ahead of the hosting of the eighth edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria did not only mar the occasion for Cameroon by beating the hosts 2-1, it is on record that the first goal at that stadium was scored by a Nigerian – Josiah Dombraiye who netted a brace. Other instances Nigeria beat Cameroon in Yaounde include the January 1 1963 return leg match of the then Kwame Nkrumah Cup organized by the West African Football Federations (WAFF), forerunners to the current West African Football Union. Cameroon was one of the founding countries of WAFF when it was established in Accra in March 1959.
Nigeria won in Yaounde after an earlier 3-1 win in Lagos. Also, a goalless World Cup qualifying match in Lagos on December 7, 1968 was followed with a 3-2 defeat of Cameroon in Yaounde on December 22, 1968.
The Nigerian soil has always been a poor hunting ground for Cameroon whose best result remain the 2-2 draw in Lagos in 2000 and perhaps the goalless outings of 1968 and that of February 2, 1980 at the then Liberty Stadium Ibadan when the legendary goalkeeper, Emmanuel Okala last played for Nigeria.
The first time Cameroon ever beat Nigeria was in the final match of the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. Nigeria lost 1-3 after taking an early lead by Muda Lawal’s early strike.
The second time Nigeria lost to Cameroon was also an African Cup of Nations final match in which a clear goal by Henry Nwosu was disallowed while a doubtful penalty kick was awarded Cameroon by the Mauritanian referee, Idrissa Sarr to Cameroon which was converted by Emmanue Kunde.
The only edge Cameroon probably have over Nigeria is the fact that the first three times the Lions won the Africa Cup of Nations, the Super Eagles were the losers – 1984, 1988 and 2000.
Nigeria vs. Cameroon: Head-to-Head
P W D L F A GD
Nigeria 20 12 5 3 31 16 +15
Cameroon 20 3 5 12 16 31 -15
- 26 Apr. 1960 (F-Lome) Cameroon 0-0 Nigeria
- 8 Dec.1962 (Nkrumah Cup – Lagos) Nigeria 3-1 Cameroon
- 1 Jan.1963 (Nkrumah- Yaounde) Cameroon 1-2 Nigeria
- 20 July 1966 (F- Fanando Po) Cameroon 1-2 Nigeria
- 1968 (WCq- Lagos) Nigeria 1-1Cameroon
- 22 Dec.1968 (WCq – Yaounde) Cameroon 2-3 Nigeria
- 13 Feb.1972 (F- Yaounde) Cameroon 1-2 Nigeria
- 22 Jan. 1975 (F – Lagos) Nigeria 1-0 Cameroon
- 2 Feb. 1980 (F- Ibadan) Nigeria 0 -0 Cameroon
- 18 Mar.1984 (Afcon – Abidjan) Cameroon 3-1 Nigeria
- 17 Mar. 1988(Afcon – Rabat Cameroon 1-1Nigeria
- 27 Mar.1988 (Afcon – Casablanca) Cameroon 1-0 Nigeria
- 10 June1989 (WCq- Ibadan) Nigeria 2-0 Cameroon
- 1989 (WCq – Yaounde) Cameroon 1-0 Nigeria
- 25 Jan.1992 (Afcon – Dakar) Cameroon 1-2 Nigeria
- 1997 (LG Cup – Tunis) Cameroon 0-1 Nigeria
- 13 .Feb. 2000 (Afcon- Lagos) Nigeria 2-2 Cameroon *(3-4 pso).
- 1 June2003 (LG Cup- Lagos) Nigeria 3-0 Cameroon *aet
- Feb.2004 (Afcon – Monastir) Cameroon 1-2 Nigeria
- Oct. 2015 (F-Vise, Belgium) Cameroon 0-3 Nigeria
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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