International Football
AMAZING FACTS AHEAD OF NIGERIA-CAMEROON REMATCH IN AUSTRIA
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
The friendly match of the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon on Tuesday at the Stadion Wiener Neustadt in Vienna Austria throws up intriguing facts. The match is potentially explosive. As usual, www.sportsvillagesquare.com takes an insightful look at the match and comes out with the following points of interest.
- The match will be the 25th clash of both Nigeria and Cameroon. Sports Village Square can confirm that in spite of the intimidating stature of the Indomitable Lions, results have always been in Nigeria’s favour. In 24 matches, Nigeria won 14 times as against four clear victories by Cameroon. The remaining six were drawn – including the 13 February 2000 Africa Cup final in which penalty kicks were used as tie-breaker.
- When Cameroon won the encounter of last Friday by a single goal, a 32-year jinx was broken as Cameroon last defeated Nigeria within regulation time on 27 August 1989 in Yaounde.
- Erstwhile Super Eagles goalkeeper, Ikechukwu Ezenwa made his international debut in a World Cup qualifying match with Cameroon in September 2017.
- Nigeria’s legendary midfielder, Muda Lawal scored the last of his 11 goals for Nigeria in a match with Cameroon at the final match of the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations.
- Nigeria’s legendary goalkeeper, Emmanuel Okala last featured for Nigeria’s national team in a match with Cameroon on 2 February 1980 at the then Liberty Stadium, Ibadan. The match ended goalless.
- The Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, now undergoing massive rehabilitation hosted its first and only international match when Nigeria beat Cameroon 2-0 on 10 June 1989 in a World Cup qualifying encounter.
- Cameroon’s first three in their five titles of the Africa Cup of Nations were achieved beating Nigeria in 1984, 1988 and 2000.
- Cameroon has never beaten Nigeria in any other Africa Cup of Nations’ duel apart from the final matches. There are three instances; in 1988, both played 1-1 in group match; in 1992 Nigeria beat Cameroon 2-1 in the classification match while also achieving the same result at the quarterfinals of the 2004 edition. Nigeria eliminated Cameroon at the Round of 16 of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
- Nigeria’s Josiah Dombraiye was the first scorer at Cameroon’s Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, Yaoundé when the arena was commissioned on 13 February 1972. Nigeria won 2-1, courtesy of the brace by Dombraiye.
- The most pronounced of Nigeria versus Cameroon encounters is the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations’ final match, which ended in penalty shootout that Nigeria controversially lost. The turning point was Victor Ikpeba’s penalty kick, which was thought not to have crossed the goal line. Several television clips showed it was a goal. Even Ikpeba’s reaction also added to the drama as he held his hands on his head in anguish after the kick. If VAR had been in existence then, the final outcome of the 2000 final could have been different.
- Samuel Okwaraji’s only goal for Nigeria was scored against Cameroon on March 17, 1988 in Rabat Morocco. It was also Nigeria’s joint fastest Africa Cup of Nations goal, coming in the second minute, just like that of Segun Odegbami against Algeria in 1980.
Nigeria vs. Cameroon: Head-to-Head
P W D L F A GD
Nigeria 24 14 6 4 39 20 +19
Cameroon 24 4 6 14 20 39 -19
- 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
- 8 Feb.2004 (Afcon – Monastir) Cameroon 1-2 Nigeria
- 11 Oct. 2015 (F-Vise, Belgium) Cameroon 0-3 Nigeria
- 1Sep. 2017 (WCq – Uyo) Nigeria 4-0 Cameroon
- 4 Sep. 2017 (WCq – Yaounde) Cameroon 1-1 Nigeria
- 6 July 2019 (Afcon – Alexandria) Cameroon 2-3 Nigeria
- 4 June 2021 (F- Vienna) Cameroon 1-0 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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