Cameroon-Ghana: Clash Between Experience And Novelty

Total AFCON, Gabon 2017, semi-final match, Cameroon-Ghana is going to be a gigantic clash between experience and novelty many football lovers are looking forward to watch.

Ghana is on their sixth semi-final in a row while Cameroon since 2008 has not qualified for the semi-finals.

This is a different game, with different players, on a different stadium-Stade de Renovation in Franceville, on a different date- Thursday February 2, at 8:00pm.

2008 is a long time when Rigobert Song and his generation on February 7, at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium in Accra, at 6:00pm played a 0-0 tie in the first half for Cameroon to score in the second half.

When Cameroon meets Ghana on Thursday, it would be a Ghana team that qualified for the quarter finals with six points, 1-0 against Uganda on penalties, 1-0 against Mali and beaten by 1-0 by Egypt. In the quarterfinal game the Black Stars defeated DR Congo 2-1.

This is not the Cameroon of 2008, but a squad with a fighting spirit, courageous, determined and mentally strong but may lack the striking force having scored only three goals, 1-1 against Gabon, 2-1 against Guinea Bissau and 1-1 against Burkina Faso to reach the quarterfinals. After a goalless first half the Lions qualified on 5-4 on penalties against Senegal.

Cameroon-Ghana shows an imbalance in statistics with Cameroon reaching the semis with few goals compared to Ghana a good attack and group that is consistent in their play style. Against this backdrop pronostics seem to favour Ghana.

Cameroon and Ghana in the past have met seven times with Cameroon loosing once, drawing three times and winning three times. The two teams leveled 1-1 in 2000 while in 2008 Lions beat the Black Stars 1-0.

Ghana and Cameroon have both won the Nations Cup four times and Ghana would count on the Ayew brothers to strike at Cameroon while Cameroon has only the goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa as saviour.

The Ayew brothers, Jordan and Andre are two of the best players in Ghana’s squad who in the absence of captain, Asamoah Gyan due to injury helped the team to qualify for the quarter finals, a shot from Jordan and penalty scored by Andre.

Cameroon has their goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa as their kingpin though without the striking force of 2008, like Samuel Eto’o Fils, Joseph Desire Job, Geremi Njitap, Timothee Atouba and Rigobert Song among others.

Lions4life