Sports

An atmosphere of uncertainty now reigns at the Cameroon Football Federation(FECAFOOT) following the arrival of emissaries from the World Governing Body(FIFA) and those of the Confederation of African Football(CAF). 
The FIFA and CAF emissaries are in Cameroon to put in place a Normalisation Committee following the annulment of the Tombi A Roko Sidiki’s-led administration by FIFA on Wednesday, August 23, 2107.
It is hope that the perennial problem of power tussle at FECAFOOT will be laid to rest. 

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Rita Akana

07.Sep.2017

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The indomitable Lions of Cameroon will not be part of the world cup in Russia after drawing 1-1 in their home match against Nigeria, at the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium in Yaounde. This draw comes at a time when the lions needed a win, which could have left them hoping to make it to the 2018 World cup in Russia, provided the Super Eagles of Okocha’s country lost all of their remaining matches.

Today’s encounter was played in an empty stadium as Cameroonian fans were not happy with the lions’ performance in Uyo, Nigeria on Friday and thus, stayed at home to avoid more heart breaks.

Mondays’ match began in almost the same way Friday’s encounter started. Hugo Broos’ boys were so active at the initial stage. The ball frequently circulated in the Nigerian half of the field. Before the first half could end, the usual syndrome came into play even though not as much as that of Uyo. Wrong passes and poor defending became the order of the day. This bad play led to a Nigerian goal at the 30^th minute by Moses Simon.

In the second half, there was still no difference. The Lions struggled, together with the luck on their side to keep the Eagles at one goal as Vincent Aboubakar scored a penalty to level the score 1-1.

Nigeria remain the leaders with 10 points, followed by Zambia on 4 points, Cameroon have 3 points and Algeria are the last with a single point.

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04.Sep.2017

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Moses to shoot... Narrowly over.

90'+7'  Victor Moses certainly had his weetabix this morning. He dummies the ball around Leuko and drives inside, winning a foul from Siani 25 yards out. A final chance for Nigeria, as the referee places the wall ten yards back.

90'+6' Collins Fai is booked for a shove on Victor Moses, who will deliver the cross from the left. Banana with a strong defensive header at the near post.

90'+5'  Bassogog shrugs, unsure of why the referee has given a foul against him. Nigeria will play the ball forward from just inside their own half.

90'+3'  Ezenwa is receiving treatment again. He's still feeling the effects of that superb, close-range stop from Fai.

90'+2' Bassogog collects the ball from Fai and dances to his right and then back to the right. He fizzes a ball through the box, just behind Simon Moses.

90'+1'  Cameroon have the ball deep in their own half.

90'  There will be five minutes of stoppage time.

89' Another Cameroonian penalty shout falls upon deaf ears, this time after Collins Fai flops down in the box. It would have been harsh on Nigeria.

88'  Bassogog dances on to his left foot and tries to swing a cross towards Aboubakar. Elderson stretches to block the delivery. Nigeria are standing up well to the incessant pressure from The Indomitable Lions.

87' A final change for Nigeria. Onazi is replaced by Etebo for his 11th cap.

86'  A swig of orange isotonic goodness, and Ezenwa is ready to take a goal kick and relieve the pressure on Nigeria. For now.

84'  Sebastian Siani catches a sweet volley from just inside the box, and Ezenwa gets down exceptionally well to parry the low shot. Collins Fai charges in on the follow up, and is denies by a brave, brave block from the 'keeper. Ezenwa is Nigeria's third choice goalkeeper, and he's down injured as a result of that double save. He's on his feet, but looks a little jaded.

83' Aboubakar goes down in the the box, and a roar comes down from the stands... nothing given. It's one-way traffic at the moment. Cameroon are dominant.

80'  Olinga comes off for Cameroon, Moumi replaces him.

80' Kelechi Iheanacho comes on for Odion Ighalo.

78'  Bassogog takes the ball down effortlessly on the right, shimmies and shuffles, and then squares the ball to Aboubakar in the box. The Porto striker has his back to goal, and can't swivel to shoot. Bassogog has injected Cameroon with some much-needed incision.

77'  Collins Fai plays a neat one-two, and looks to break down the right flank. Onazi leads in with an arm to challenge him, and he is booked. Bassogog delivers from the right, but he miss-kicks and the ball sails out beyond the far side of the box.

76' The volume has gone up to eleven. Cameroon really need to push for the win. An exhilerating final 15 minutes beckons.

75' GOL GOL GOL! Aboubakar takes a deep breath, a slow run up, and tucks the ball low in to the net. The crowd erupts.

74'  PENALTY TO CAMEROON! Djoum is cleaned out by a diving Ezenwa, and Aboubakar will take the spot kick.

73'  Victor Moses is omnipresent. I think there could be about four of him. He tracks back to clear the ball at the far post.

70' Hugo Broos raises his hands in disbelief on the touchline. He is dischuffed that Siani has been penalised for a clumsy challenge on Onazi, who has taken the captain's armband for Nigeria.

67' Ooooh, Moses skims the bar! The Chelsea man chopped on to his left foot just inside the box, before moving his body around the ball and curling the ball towards the far corner with his right. Moses gets under the ball a little too much, and it bounces agonisingly off the top of the bar and out for a goal kick.

65'  Mikel Agu, a 24-year-old from Porto, comes on for John Obi Mikel to win his third cap for the Super Eagles.

64' Superb wing-play from Victor Moses on the left to beat Leuko and gallop to the byline. His cut-back evades both Ighalo, and Mikel on the edge of the box.

63' Fabrice Olinga throws a step-over, skips past Shehu, and falls over. He is a little too vociferous in his protests to the referee, and is booked for backchat.

61'  Double change for Cameroon. Moukandjo and Nsame go off, with Aboubakar and Bassogog coming on.

59' Djoum finds a pocket of space 30 yards out, sets himself up for the shot... and sends a wild effort over the bar.

58' Cameroon are turning the screw, placing Nigeria under constant pressure. Fai, Djoum, and Moukandjo combine well on the right, but the latter's cross goes in to the arms of Ezenwa in the Super Eagles goal.

57' Nigeria are becoming a little sloppy. A foul out on the left will allow Moukandjo to deliver another free-kick... it's better than his last few, but Ekong clears.

55'  Balogun goes in to the book for a foul on Moukandjo. The Cameroon midfielder gets up, and takes a clever, quick free-kick down the right hand side of the box to Djoum. Elderson is attentive, and forces the Hearts winger to turn back away from goal.

53' The superb Leon Balogun prevents Jean Pierre Nsame from shooting inside the box with a sumptuously-timed sliding tackle. The Cameroon number 9 was set to pull the trigger, a crucial interventionl.

52' Victor Moses has the ball on the edge of the box, with Elderson scampering around the outside of him on the overlap. He uses the left back's run as a decoy, and shimmies inside to shoot with his right foot. He is leaning back, and the ball goes well wide.

51' Moukandjo raises his arm, and whips in a free-kick from the left flank. It's nicely shaped, but too close to the goalkeeper, who gathers with a clean catch.

48' Nsame races to the byline and tries to centre the ball while running at full pace. The winger is unable to keep his balance, and slices the ball behind for a goal kick to Nigeria. Cameroon are dominating possession, but not doing a great deal with it.

46' No substitutions from either side at half time. With Aboubakar and Bassogog on the bench, Cameroon do have the ability to 'shake things up'.

46' And, we're off! More of the same needed from Nigeria, while Cameroon need to show a little more spark.

A pre-kick off huddle from Nigeria, playing in white shirts. They are within touching distance of Russia 2018.

The teams are filtering back out for the second half.
Nigeria are 45 minutes from qualification...

Arnaud Djoum, who plays in the SPL for Hearts, has been Cameroon's most potent attacking outlet on the right flank. The 28-year-old has caused real problems for Elderson.

Simon Moses and Victor Moses (no relation) have been the stand-out men for Nigeria out on the flanks. The away side are set up to counter attack, and it is suiting these two perfectly. The longer Nigeria hold on to their lead, the more space they will find, as Cameroon are forced to push forward.

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Rita Akana

04.Sep.2017

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 44'  Moses Simon has absolute hectares out on the right, where Serge Leuko's positioning is questionable to say the least. Moses flings a cross towards the near post but a Cameroon shirt clears.

42' Victor Moses is boxed in, near his own corner flag. Collins Fai steams in rather hot-headedly and shoves him in the back. Needless.

40' Fabrice Olinga springs the offside trap to latch on to Anguissa's long ball, right at the byline. He can only backheel it to prevent it going out of play, and wait for the arriving Nigerian defenders to boot it behind for a corner. The 'keeper, Ezenwa, should have come off his line there.

39' The match has opened up in the last five minutes. A lot of frenetic counter-attacking with limited end product.

38' Victor Moses charges in to the box, dipping and weaving, turning Teikeu inside and out. The Chelsea winger goes to ground, but it looked like a tripped on his own feet, and the half-hearted penalty shouts are dismissed.

37' Siani and Anguissa are comfortable in possession around the Nigeria box, but neither have been able to find the killer final pass. Apart from Djoum, the home side are lacking a creative spark.

34' Big chance for Odion Ighalo. The former-Watford striker peeled away from Teikeu to latch on to Victor Moses' through ball. The defender recovers to take up a goal-side position, but Ighalo skips away from him with a step-over and unleashes a left-footed drive. It flies over. Victor Moses is down in the centre of the park after receiving a blow to his lower back, but he'll be fine to continue. The rest of the players make the most of the break in play to take on water.

32'  Victor Moses threatens again on the right. He rifles a low shot towards Ondoa's near post, and Banana deflects it behind for a corner. Balogun is a constant threat in the opposition box, but the ball is slightly too high for him.

28'  GOOOOOL! Simon Moses seizes upon Victor Moses' parried shot from the right, and turns the ball in at the far post. A good finish with the ball bobbling at his feet. He celebrates the goal with a selection of acrobatics.

27' Moses opts to deliver a swirling delivery, but he overcooks it slightly and Cameroon launch a counter-attack from the goal kick. Djoum finds himself with the ball at his feet on the right hand side of the box, and lifts a cross in towards the penalty spot. Balogun rises well to clear, but it falls at the feet of Nsame. He shapes to shoot, but a white shirt gets in the way and the Super Eagles clear.

26' Two shots apiece so far. A chance for Nigeria to have another from a free-kick. Leon Balogun waltzes out of the defence and is fouled deep in the Cameroon half. Moses stands over it.

24' Nigeria are looking to break quickly through Victor Moses and Moses Simon on the flanks. There are plenty of long, diagonal, and fairly speculative balls being played out to them, with little success so far.

21'  Yaya Banana gets up the highest to meet Djoum's delivery from the right. The big man tries to guide it towards the bottom corner, but his connection is too thin, and the ball skids wide of Ezenwa's goal.

20' Nsame fulfills his defensive duties well, tracking back to pinch the ball off John Obi Mikel's toes... And then gives it away. Cameroon need to settle.

18' Moukandjo skips past Onazi in the centre of the park, and is promptly chopped down. The Nigerian midfielder does his best to talk himself in to a booking, but eventually backs off and allows the free-kick to be taken. Moukandjo swings it in, but it's slightly ahead of his team-mates, and it bounces out for a goal kick.

16' 15 minutes played, and neither team has grasped this match by the scruff of the neck. Cameroon have had the better chances, but need to watch their discipline. The home side have committed several petty fouls, and with Victor Moses' delivery, could be punished from set-pieces.

13' Arnaud Djoum leaps over Balogun and flops to the ground, 25 yards from goal. He expected a foul, but the Senegalese referee waves play on. That looked like a foul. Even though Balogun did not touch Cameroon's number 17, he forced him in to evasive action. A let-off for Nigeria.

12' Collins Fai clatters Victor Moses on the touchline. An 'agricultural' challenge, as it were. The Chelsea man dusts himself off, and will deliver... The Cameroon rearguard hold firm and the ball goes clear.

10' Djoum threatens again on the right flank. He's made a very lively start. He latches on to a perfectly-weighted pass from Andre Anguisse and cuts the ball back across goal. The Nigerian 'keeper does well to dive at the feet of his defenders and claim, clean as a whistle.

9' Cameroon have the first decent chance of the match. Arnaud Djoum careers down the right win and whips a low ball towards Nsame, who has made an intelligent run in from the left towards the near post. Nsame flashes a right footed shot just wide.

8' Leon Balogun, who plies his trade for Mainz in the Bundesliga, leaps at the far post but can't connect with the outswinging corner.

7' Nigeria almost immediately win another free-kick. It's 35 yards out and to the right. Victor Moses stands over the ball, adjusts his hair, and whips in the delivery. Cleared by Teikeu for a corner.

6' Djoum with a clumsy foul, barging in to the back of Onazi in the centre circle.

5'  It's a fine atmosphere in Yaoundé, where The Lions are playing to the sound of a brass band and raucous percussion.

3' Cameroon launch a long ball towards the run of Fabrice Olinga, but Ezenwa rushes out to claim just inside his box.

   1' We're underway! Cameroon settle in to early possession.

Yet Cameroon have not beaten Nigeria since 2000, and that was on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the Cup of Nations. For a fully fledged victory, you have to go all the way back to 1989, when a goal from Francois Omam-Biyik gave The Lions a narrow win.

The two sides are very close in the FIFA world rankings. After their Cup of Nations victory earlier this year, Cameroon sit in 35th position, with Nigeria slightly below in 38th.

The Super Eagles have the upper hand in terms of the head-to-head. Nigeria have played Cameroon 21 times, winning 11, drawing 6, and losing 4.

The Nigeria team have added motivation this evening. The Super Eagles are playing with Carl Ikeme in mind. The Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper was recently diagnosed with leukaemia and is currently receiving treatment.

Surprisingly, Cameroon will line up without Aboubakar or Bassagog. A curious team-selection from Hugo Broos.

Cameroon XI: Ondoa; Faï, Teikeu, Banana, Leuko; Siani, Zambo, Moukandjo, Djoum; Olinga, Nsame.

The Cameroon team are out for their warm-up, greeted by a roar from the crowd.

 John Obi Mikel has recovered from injury to bolster the Nigerian midfield for this round of international fixtures. The 30-year-old, now with Tianjin TEDA in China, made his debut back in 2005 in a friendly victory over Libya.
No Cameroon players in the 'team of the week' following the Nigeria defeat, unsurprisingly.

Cameroon coach Hugo Broos was frank following his team's heavy defeat on Friday. "There is no pressure anymore on Monday, Nigeria have nine points, we have two points," he said, "there is only an honour to defend, there is no importance to this."
Words of encouragement from the big man.

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Rita Akana

04.Sep.2017

Hits: 2133